Today, I share a new plant in my garden, Calycanthus raulstonii, a new bigeneric cross involving the native eastern species of Calycanthus floridus, which some well informed eastern gardeners may have grown. This plant is a significant introduction, and is impressive both as a flowering plant, and as a new shrub for it’s foliage it beautiful. A new plant in the world of horticulture is rare enough, but one which performs so well, is very welcome, espeically one which flowers after the spring flush, and one which prefers shade. So what is bigeneric hybrid? – It’s simply a cross between two species, the eastern American species ( Calycanthus floridus), and it’s distant cousin from China, ( Sinocalycanthus chinensis).
The new plant was named to honor J.C. Raulstonm Director of the North Carolina State University Arboretum ( now called the JC Raulson Arboretum), a man a never had the pleasure of knowing, but one who seems to live on in the memories of all who had the pleasure of meeting him. This cross was created in the mid 1990’s before J.C Raulstons untimely death due to an automobile accident in 1996, and it was Registered in 2001. It should be sought out at better garden centers ( where I found mine), as it is beginning to be distributed now. There is a related cross, a white form called ‘Venus’, which looks very much like a tiny Magnolia.
Looks a real beauty.
I have two new plants and they seem to be thriving in the woodland area of my garden. I think perhaps the shrub is a cross between two genera, though, not species?
Thanks for the post-I hope more people try it.