Plant
of the Month
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June/July 2005
Miyakea
integrifolia
Miyabe & Tatewaki
by Henrick Zetterlund
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Miyakea integrifolia
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About 20 years ago I came across a Japanese flora -
"The alpine plants of Karafuto" - and was
struck by the picture of Miyakea integrifolia.
It took some time to figure out that Karafuto is the
Japanese name for Sakhalin. When the name for this pasque-flower
relative was published (1935) Sakhalin was divided still
between Russia and Japan. This plant has remained a
holy grail for me. I have heard that it was cultivated,
once, in Czechoslovakia but never found any reference
to that attempt in the literature.
I had been looking for Miyakea in vain since
our first brief encounter but luck changed in 2003 when
Sakhalin Botanic Garden offered it in the international
seed-exchange. It had been collected by Alexander Taran
in the Tymovsky District on the western side of Sakhalin
island. We received a fair amount of seed, some of which
was sown immediately (25-3-2003) and germinated well
later that season; more from the same batch was sown
one year later and proved to be just as viable. Seedlings
were raised in our standard compost and culture was
easy. In the spring of 2004 several buds were produced
but eventually aborted. This spring (2005) we had good
flowering and now have some 15 plants in the alpine
house, 6 plants (that look as if soon they will flower)
in a peat-wall on the rock garden, and 10 plants in
the propagation house. I think the best site for this
species will be that favoured by Pulsatilla vernalis:
a cool spot with northern exposure on the rock garden,
or an unshaded spot in the peat-garden.
Miyakea is an oddity with beautiful winter-green
rosettes of entire leaves and flowers of a smoky sky-blue,
although the picture from a Russian website shows a
brownish-purple flower. I'm convinced that Miyakea
is really a Pulsatilla and, to my humble eyes,
it comes closest to Pulsatilla vernalis with
its evergreen, winter-rusty foliage and softly woolly
bracts.
Contributor
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Henrik
Zetterlund, Gothenburg Botanic Garden, Sweden.
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