Podophyllum hexandrum, Sinopodophyllum hexandrum
HIMALAYAN MAY APPLE
SKU: 636-003
This choice plant has marbled bronze foliage which erupt through the ground like folded umbrellas. Crystalline white flower cups produce enormous brilliant-red fruits, as large as a bantam's egg. In good moist soil this treasure is spectacular and very long-lived but too rarely seen!
Sinopodophyllum is an herbaceous perennial native to Afghanistan, Bhutan, northern India, Kashmir, Nepal, Pakistan, and western China (Gansu, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Tibet, Yunnan). Common names include Himalayan may apple and Indian may apple.
Sinopodophyllum hexandrum is low to the ground with glossy green, drooping, lobed leaves on its few stiff branches, bearing a pale pink flower and bright red-orange bulbous fruit. The ornamental appearance of the plant make it a desirable addition to woodland-type gardens. It is very tolerant of cold temperatures, as would be expected of a Himalayan plant, but it does not tolerate dry conditions.
Harvesting from the wild is becoming unsustainable. Over-exploitation of S. hexandrum and deforestation have resulted in its current IUCN endangered listing.
A study published by Kharkwal et al. (2008) found that propagating S. hexandrum seeds in an off-site controlled environment allowed seedlings to grow one year faster than in the field. Effective ex situ methods such as this can conserve genetic diversity while providing a substantial volume of transplants to go back out into the wild to combat over-harvesting vulnerability.
Height: 30-45cm
Type: Hardy perennial
Hardiness zones: 4-8
Location: Shade or part shade
Seeds per packet: 3
This choice plant has marbled bronze foliage which erupt through the ground like folded umbrellas. Crystalline white flower cups produce enormous brilliant-red fruits, as large as a bantam's egg. In good moist soil this treasure is spectacular and very long-lived but too rarely seen!
Sinopodophyllum is an herbaceous perennial native to Afghanistan, Bhutan, northern India, Kashmir, Nepal, Pakistan, and western China (Gansu, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Tibet, Yunnan). Common names include Himalayan may apple and Indian may apple.
Sinopodophyllum hexandrum is low to the ground with glossy green, drooping, lobed leaves on its few stiff branches, bearing a pale pink flower and bright red-orange bulbous fruit. The ornamental appearance of the plant make it a desirable addition to woodland-type gardens. It is very tolerant of cold temperatures, as would be expected of a Himalayan plant, but it does not tolerate dry conditions.
Harvesting from the wild is becoming unsustainable. Over-exploitation of S. hexandrum and deforestation have resulted in its current IUCN endangered listing.
A study published by Kharkwal et al. (2008) found that propagating S. hexandrum seeds in an off-site controlled environment allowed seedlings to grow one year faster than in the field. Effective ex situ methods such as this can conserve genetic diversity while providing a substantial volume of transplants to go back out into the wild to combat over-harvesting vulnerability.
Height: 30-45cm
Type: Hardy perennial
Hardiness zones: 4-8
Location: Shade or part shade
Seeds per packet: 3
