Spek-tacular Castiron Plant. Linda Guy of Carolina Nurseries, Monck's Corner, SC, found this selection on a stand in a roadside market on a exploratory trip to China. She said that it was laying in the stall bare-root and all dried up. But she miraculously coaxed new growth out of it. Tony Avent of Plant Delights Nursery gave it the cultivar name 'Spek-tacular.' It has truly "Spek-tacularly" tall heavily spotted leaves which will reach up to 57" (145 cm) in height! That's 4' 9" high without flopping. We have grown it outside in containers here in zone 8 with only some superficial tip burn. I would imagine in the ground that it would do even better. When Tony named it, the species was not known, but since it has flowered, it has been identified as an "Aspidistra sichuanensis" selection. Initially it had been identified as an A. elatior selection. Its leaves are some of the tallest that I have ever seen of any in the genus Aspidistra. This is one of the most awesome species of Aspidistra that I have ever seen. I think if given good protection in the landscape, one could grow this selection in zone 7b, but as one can see from the photos, it would make an incredible pot plant for environs further north. Please note: Since this cultivar is so tall, we will probably have to bend the leaves to get them into a box. Many are close to 5 ft. tall with the pot. Instead of cutting back the leaves, we prefer to just bend them because even these bent leaves will produce more food to support the new crop of leaves. UPS puts more premium on volume of box than weight, so this is necessary to keep the shipping cost as low as possible. So when you purchase this selection, please be aware of this.
Zones 7b-10
