Description
A late riser often not appearing until June, when all hope has passed. Then, suddenly trifid, wide, waxy green leaves appear from a sharp bamboo-shoot that seems to appear overnight. As the leaves unfurl they reveal a tubular, white ‘flower’, striped with cool lime-green and candy-pink. This is one of the few Arisaema with a scent and one of the few Aroids with anything like a pleasant scent. According to your nose, some forms are delicately perfumed either of roses or of lily-of the valley (Convallaria).
This stock, which we have christened “Forrest”, was introduced close on 100 years ago from China and for many years (until the 1980s) it was the only form that was grown in cultivation. It is subsequently traceable as far back to Dr. G. Wallace of Colchester, who passed seeds on to Sir Cedric Morris. In many years of cultivation here I have never set viable seed on this plant however. I suspect that this is because the strain is self-incompatible or self-sterile, (this can occur in clones and sibling-infertility is well-known in other bulbous and tuberous plants). The original introductions were by Forrest from China where it has been re-found in recent years. These new finds are cross-fertile with the existing stocks but seed set is still remarkably rare with us at least. As of 2020, this has amounted to two (big) heads in 15 years of cultivation.
This beautifully even form tolerates a wide range of garden soils in sun or light shade, the more fertile the soil, so the better and larger that the plant becomes.
The species has two accolades, an AM in 1924 and an FCC in 1970 both from the RHS.
