Paris polyphylla
Family - Melanthiaceae
Category - Perennial
Origin - Himalaya to China
Year of Introduction - 1826
Season of Interest - Summer, Autumn
Hardiness - H5
Height - up to 1m
Width - 30cm or more
Location - The Woodland Walk
Description: A rhizomatous, spreading Perennial with an upright habit. Bright green leaves that are oblong to lanceolate in shape are held in whorls up the stem. Unusual flowers with yellow, whisker-like petals, spiky, pinkish-red stamens and a deep maroon, nearly black centre are surrounded by a collar of green, Bract-like tepals. Flowers are produced through the summer but remain attractive into autumn. Vivid orange-red seeds are revealed when the flowers have finished. Slow growing.
Synonym - Daiswa polyphylla
The name Paris is not a reference to the city. 'Par' means equal in latin which refers to the symmetry of the foliage and flowers.
Flower:
Unusual flowers are composed of yellow, whisker-like petals with pinkish-red, spiky stamens and a deep maroon centre (ovary), all surrounded by a collar of bract-like tepals. Flowers are produced from June through August but remain attractive into the autumn.
Flower colour: Green, yellow
Flower shape: Spider-like flowers
Flowering time: June, July, August
Foliage:
Mid-green leaves are oblong to lanceolate in shape and are held in whorls up the stems.
Foliage Senescence: Deciduous
Foliage Shape: Oblong to lanceolate
Propagation:
Seed, division. (Difficult to propagate.)
Cultivation:
Best in partial shade to shade in fertile, humus-rich soil that is moisture retentive, but well drained.