A Blueberry by Any Other Name

Of the roughly 100 metal money ofAgapetes(Himalayan lanterns ) , most are epiphyte that uprise in trees across the Himalayas to China and down the Malay Peninsula . The ground these unique plants can grow in tree diagram is that their challenging bulbous , woody storage Hammond organ call a lignotuber lets them contend with periods of drouth and maybe alimental stress . ( There is probable some Freudian account for our fascination with lignotubers , but we wo n’t delve into that . ) The genusAgapetesis very closely pertain to the genusVaccinium(i.e . , blueberry bush ) but differs in flush characteristics . While some systematist have movedAgapetestoVaccinium , there are still plenty of rounds leave in this botanic prizefight before one or the other is declared the winner .

This is all very interesting in a geeky variety of direction , but why should you specifically get ‘ Ludgvan Cross ’ Himalayan lantern — peculiarly if it may be lovesome in your area ? The short answer : because its flowers are outstanding . This plant life is a hybrid ofA. serpensxA. incurvatathat add up from a garden near the Ithiel Town of Ludgvan in Cornwall . Arching 3- to 4 - metrical foot stems attired in little evergreen plant foliage are literally jewel with drooping flowers resembling keen glass Venetian beading in late winter through saltation . Each tubular flower is bloom pink and high model by rank of squiggly dark pinkish chevron . The blossoms also frolic pale raised ribs that terminate at snowy petal tips ringing the mouth . These impressive blooms give direction to cherubic Chuck Berry whose value lies more as a novelty than a craw . While ‘ Ludgvan Cross ’ Himalayan lantern can bear a brief light frost , it is excellent in containers and is easy to winter in a cool sunporch or unheated garage . In our cool nursery , it flowers from fall to other spring and is a favorite of our overwintering Anna ’s hummingbirds . All of this and a lignotuber too — what ’s not to love ?

‘Ludgvan Cross’Himalayan lantern

Agapetes‘Ludgvan Cross’

Zones:9–11

Conditions : Full sun to partial subtlety ; acidulent , well - drain soil

Native Range : Southeastern Asia

— Kelly Dodson and Sue Milliken own Far Reaches Farm in Port Townsend , Washington .

exemplification : Elara Tanguy

SOURCES

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