Mangetsu Aspidistra. I found this selection in Japan some years ago, but it took quite a while to increase numbers so that we could be able to offer it. I wasn't really pushing to divide it because I had no idea of the cultivar name, but Tony Avent was able to find the correct id for it. Jearrard's Herbal website, www.johnjearrard.co.uk describes this cultivar as "a very old Japanese selection, the green and white striped leaves are frosted with white speckles. As the leaves age, they become greener." The cultivar name 'Mangetsu' translates to "full moon" in Japanese. As one can see from the pictures, the leaves have an unusual silvery over-wash to them. It is a very stable cultivar but each leaf is quite variable. I don't think that I have ever seen an all green leaf as is the case with variegated cultivars of Aspidistras. To my knowledge I don't recall ever seeing this cultivar offered in the U. S. It should be grown in full shade or as a container plant in areas too cold to grow it outside. It seems to be as cold-hardy as the species. The 2 quart pots that we offer are quite full with 4-5 leaves at least.
Zone 7b-10
