Description
Polygonatum odoratum Byakko is a Japanese clone, Byakko translates as White Tiger. It was once widely grown in Japan, for the cut flower trade, but dwindled almost to extinction before being rescued. It is now staging a slow, expensive recovery in the nursery trade.
It is a very attractive plant. The leaves unfurl green, then the white develops. At maturity at least half of each leaf is pure white, contrasted with a green that seems to have extra emerald shades. The variegation develops best on mature plants and in transient, rather than constant, shade.
The white is unusual as it actually increases in area as the season progresses. The variegation is of the plastid type and it results from mutated cells that don’t make chlorophyll (it is nothing to do with virus). The white areas increase in size with time as they actually shut down chlorophyll production in the adjacent green cells.
Grow in half or part shade in a leafy loam. It is vigorous, especially when you consider the area of white on each leaf and to cap it all, the flowers are sweetly and delightfully fragrant.
