Rawhide Aspidistra. On my first visit to Japan, we were in the garden of Dr. Masato Yokoi (co-author of Variegated Plants in Color) and I was admiring this particular clump of Aspidistra. He asked me if I would like a piece and of course I answered in the affirmative. He reached down and tore a division off. There was only one leaf and less than a half inch of the rhizome with no roots. It took two years to coax a new leaf out of it. Now ten years later I have some to share. The leaf is extremely wide, up to 4" (10 cm) for its height of up to 27" (68-70 cm) and it is heavily spotted with cream-yellow flecks. The broad leaf has more of a blunt rounded tip (obtuse in botanical language) than the typical pointed leaves of most species (acute). But the most astonishing thing about this plant is its leather-like or plastic-like leaf texture. It feels more like cardboard than an Aspidistra leaf. My supposition is that it is probably very cold hardy because of this "Rawhide" texture. Leaves have lasted in good condition up to five years. I gave a division to Tony Avent of Plant Delights Nursery, hoping that with his contacts in Europe, we may be able to eventually discover the proper species. He just notified me that the experts have decided that it is an A. sichuanensis selection. As with all Aspidistras, plant in shade with good drainage or even use it as a "tough as nails" pot plant.
Zones 7b-10
