Yatsufusa Distylium. I found this tiny Distylium in the Fujinami Nursery, Saitama Prefecture, Japan, in 2010. It is an extremely dwarf selection of the species which makes a quaint mound of shiny dark green foliage. When anyone has seen this plant, none of them have been able to guess its identity. At this time, no flowers have been observed. Mr. Fujinami is the individual who discovered the original black mondo, Ophiopogon planiscapis nigrescens. When kept in a greenhouse with extended day length, this selection has continued to grow all winter. Because of its diminutive size, this is an ideal rock garden subject. It will tolerate sun or shade, but I would not recommend watering it every day, because it is so dense it needs to dry out between watering. The first two pictures were taken of plants in Mr. Fujinami's nursery, where they were grown with very low fertility. When grown with more nutrients, the leaves take on a completely different form. The last two pictures are of plants that we will ship to you.
Zones 6b-9
