Not many plants belonging to the family Verbenaceae are
cultivated in gardens and, if we exclude the spectacular clerodendrums, they
are all noted more for their perfume than for their pleasing but never
sensational flowers. This is also true in the case of the genus Caryopteris,
small shrubs more suited to a spot near the entrance to the house than for use
as a major feature in the garden. Apart from the beautiful blue of their
flowers and the silver-grey of their foliage, caryopteris merit appreciation
for the intensity of their agreeable aromatic fragrance.
The genus is somewhat small and comprises about fifteen
species, all native to the Far East. The first was discovered in Mongolia in
1831 by Dr. Alexander von Bunge. In 1835, von Bunge, while still in his early
thirties, published a monograph on Mongolian-Chinese flora. There he described
this plant and proposed calling it Caryopteris, a name it has retained ever
since. The word is made of two Greek words, karyon (nut) and pteron so
called because the fruits of the plant divide into four small winged nuts.
In 1833, Caryopteris mongholica was introduced into France
and almost immediately lost; but it was reintroduced in 1866 by Pere David.
Meanwhile, Robert Fortune had found Caryopteris Mastacanthus in the vicinity of
Canton and took it to England in 1844. This plant also failed to grow, and it
was reintroduced in 1880 by Charles Manes for the firm of Veitch; this
particular species, however, has never become really popular in Europe.
Caryopteris tangutica Maxim., found in 1880 in the western part of Kansu
province in China, appeared to be more vigorous than the previous two species,
although this one did not have much success either. The only caryopteris which
has caught on and grown well in Europe and which is most frequently listed in
nursery catalogues is the hybrid Caryopteris x clandonensis, the result of a
spontaneous cross in the garden of A. Simmonds, at Clandon in England, in 1930
Simmonds intended to propagate Caryopteris mongholica and had collected seed
from a plant growing near a specimen of Caryopteris Mastacanthus. Two years
later, when the seedlings flowered, half of them proved to be hybrids in which
could be seen traces of both parents. At the same time, Simmonds noticed
another self-sown seedling which had germinated underneath his plant of
Caryopteris mongholica; this proved to be a much more beautiful hybrid, having
inherited the more intense colour of Caryopteris mongholica and the more
vigorous habit of Caryopteris Mastacanthus. This hybrid also proved to have
greater vigour and to be freer-flowering than either parent, thus making itself
famous.
Cultivation. In
districts with long hot summers cultivation is very easy. It should be planted
in a warm position in sun or partial shade, in a robust, substantial soil
containing plenty of humus and enough sand to ensure good drainage. Although
reasonably hardy, it will not harm the plant to die back to the ground when the
winter temperature falls below zero, and it will generally revegetate in the
spring from its base. In very cold districts, however, it is best to provide
some winter protection around the base of the plant. In the far south, or if
cultivated in an unheated greenhouse, plants will bloom until the year's end.
Severe pruning is necessary in early spring, according to the climate, but not
during periods of hard frost. Propagation from seed is very easy if it is sown
under glass in spring; the plant can also be increased from cuttings of
half-ripened wood taken in July—August and placed in sandy soil in frames or in
a greenhouse.
Caryopteris Mastacanthus Schauer
Native to China, Japan, and Taiwan. A shrub of modest
proportions which rarely exceeds .The young shoots and the undersurface of the
foliage are grey-green and hairy; the leaves are stalked, ovate or
elongated-ovate, ins, long, dull green, pointed, and edged with pairs of
acuminate or obtuse teeth. The flowers are grouped in dense umbels borne in the
axils of the upper leaves and are violet- blue in colour. In some catalogues
the plant is wrongly called Blue Spirea. There is a var. candicans with white flowers.
Caryopteris mongholica Bunge
Native to southern China and Mongolia. Similar to the
preceding, but slightly less tall and with leaves that are entire instead of
dentated, lanceolate or elongated-lanceolate, long. The umbels of flowers are
much less dense and are blue.
Caryopteris x clandonensis
A hybrid resulting from a cross between the two preceding
species and, as explained above, raised at Clandon, Surrey, about 1930.
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