Heptacodium miconioides
(Seven Son Flower of Zhejiang)
Family - Caprifoliaceae
Category - Shrub, tree
Origin - China
Discovered By - Ernest Wilson - see description
Year of Introduction - 1980- see description
Season of Interest - Summer, Autumn
Hardiness - H5
Height - up to 6m
Location - The Cool Garden
Description: Deciduous large Shrub or small tree with a rounded habit. Dark green, leathery leaves are ovate with long, pointed tips and have a tendency to fold inwards. Panicles of fragrant, white, star-shaped flowers are produced in late summer into autumn. After the flowers have dropped, the calyces remain and turn a dusky shade of reddish-pink and persist on the plant for a considerable time. Heptacodium miconioides was originally discovered by Ernest Wilson in the early 1900's but was not introduced into cultivation until 1980.
The common name, Seven Son Flower, or Seven Son Flower of Zhejiang, refers to the individual flower clusters, each composed of six flowers surrounding a central, non-flowering bud. Seven is considered a lucky number in China.
Award of Garden Merit (AGM).
Synonym - Heptacodium jasminoides.
Flower:
Fragrant, star-shaped flowers are held in panicles and produced from August into October. Individual clusters are composed of six flowers surrounding a central, non-flowering bud. The calyces age to an attractive shade of reddish-pink and persist on the plant long after the flowers have dropped.
Flower colour: White
Flower shape: Star-shaped flowers in panicles
Flowering time: August, September, October
Foliage:
Dark green leaves are ovate with pointed tips and tend to fold inwards. Leaves emerge fairy early in the spring and persist on the branches into late autumn, sometimes early winter.
Foliage Senescence: Deciduous
Foliage Shape: Ovate
Propagation:
Seed, cuttings.
Cultivation:
Best in full sun to partial shade in fertile, moisture-retentive, but well-drained soil.