Hepatica Japanese

Hepatica Asahi Sandan

This has the classical Sandan structure with gorgeous, broad, rich pink petals with a lovely texture which sit behind a central tuft of white-based, jade green, inner petals. I always feel that these are best described as being in the shape of a fish-knife (rather than "spoon-shaped".

Stunningly beautiful but regrettably scare, our stock is always limited and demand ensures that prices continue to rise, not fall, in Japan.

Hepatica Asahi Sandanhepasasan	£149.50		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
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Hepatica Asuka

Superbly coloured rich amethyst outer whorl with an inner rosette composed of masses of pointed, deep green petals, each shaped like a tiny chicory leaf, with a delicate and miasmic tracery of violet on a few petal veins.

A new clone, rare and sought after in Japan and consequently VERY expensive, but one of the most strongly contrasted and stunning flowers in our entire collection.

Hepatica Beni Shinjyu

Deep cerise flowers which are very well packed with petals. The appearance of this flower is wonderful and is very distinct, by virtue of the broad shape of these petals , which have very rounded ends. In addition they are well-packed into their whorls, and the tiniest line of white at the petal tip, serves to contrast each against the whorl below. The floral centre is white.

Hepatica Benizome

A gorgeous new clone introduced here in 2009. This has good-sized, perfectly proportioned flowers with dense, overlapping whorls of broad, spoon-shaped petals.

Each petal is white fading to a very pale pink towards the edges, which are then strongly contrasted and outlined with deep pink-magenta. This is a stunning flower and one which is highly esteemed in Japan.

Hepatica Benizomehepbenizo	£155.00		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
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Hepatica Blue Sandan

For a very long time the Sandan forms have been rare and expensive. This is especially true of the "blue" Sandans, in which a broad outer frill is purple or blue tinged with a contrast to the green inner frill of petalloid anthers on short filaments.

The form shown, illustrates the typical Sandan structure. We have been lucky to get some plants from a breeder. These are NOT clonal divisions, they are plants raised from seed, about 6 years old. All have flowered, all are of the blue Sandan type, all are good. They do not vary a great deal but they will not all be identical.

Having said this they are offered at a fraction of the normal price for a clone, which can often run into several hundreds of pounds.

Hepatica Blue Sandanhepblusan	£45.00		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
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Hepatica Daiseikou

A superb, strong-growing clone with fully doubled flowers of a lovely methyl-violet. The flowers are very well packed with petals and have extra petals in the outer whorl, the very centre of which are picked out with a slightly paler central vein. The abundance of outer petals is also reflected in the inner whorls which have lots of extras, adding to the overall fullness of the flowers.

At the very centre of the flower is a small eye of white. In one of our flowers (illustrated) the vigour and sheer number of petals has given rise to a double centre.

New for 2009-2010 and a fabulous rarity.

Hepatica Daiseikouhepdaisei	£375.00		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
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Hepatica Daishihou

This plant carries an evenly coloured outer ring of broad petals with a densely piled inner spiral of doubled petals, piled whorl upon whorl. The very centre is a pleasingly contrasted white.

I cannot look at this without thinking of an indoor firework of my youth, a ‘Volcano’ that spluttered into life (now and again) when lit, and glowed from the centre as it did so.

Hepatica Dewa

Lovely rich-pink, broad petals are veined with a slightly darker shade which is most obvious at the edges of the flower.

The floral hub is composed of tightly -packed petals which gradually unfurl. They initially have a slightly yellow-green base which soon develops to white and this makes a lovely counter-point for the otherwise pink colouration of the flowers.

A new clone for us in 2009 and a very lovely one with well-formed, flowers of very good substance.

Hepatica Dewahepdewa	£55.00		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
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Hepatica Getsurin

There are between six and nine rounded outer petals of an attractive shade of warm violet-purple.

Inside the outer whorl is a complex inner flower made up of a boss of green styles, itself surrounded by a doubled rosette of petals which are white, stained with violet purple at the edges and tips, and also with pale lime-green in the centre of each. These inner petals are strongly curved and curled back on themselves.

A superb departure from the norm, with little else like it, except perhaps Kagura.

Hepatica Getsurinhepgetsur	£45.00		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
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Hepatica Hakuhou

Six very broad outer petals are the back drop for rosette upon rosette of noticeably broad petals packed into a wonderful, symmetrical rosette of the most superb proportions.

This new introduction has to be the very best of all of the white doubles that I have seen - so far at least.

Hepatica Hakuhouhephakuho	£165.00		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
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Hepatica Harukaze

One of the newer, semi filled clones which are becoming more widely available now.

The outermost whorl is composed of broad petals, evenly spread around the star, in a lovely shade of imperial purple each with a pale central stripe. The largest of the inner whorls consists of broad but shorter petals whilst the very innermost whorls are dominated by white and arranged around a perfectly contrasting emerald green boss.

Hepatica Harukazehepharuka	£39.50		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
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Hepatica Harukomachi

This is a novel magenta Otome type Hepatica, in which the outer petals are broader, and overlapping, whilst the inners segments are reduced to a tight, green button.

The Otome types have no anthers and no filaments, just a lovely simple boss in the centre, a little like a sea-urchin. This is almost always green. The degree of development of the boss varies and it can, sometimes, show a structure like a tightly compressed Eranthis bud.

Harukomachi was described to us a a magenta flower, however our illustration shows a pink bloom. We are thus hoping for a darker shade than the one shown. This is however a clone, not a strain, so all plants will be the same.

A beautiful plant, elegant and simple at an attainable price.

Hepatica Harukomachihepukomac	£41.50		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
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Hepatica Harumonogatari

Lovely bright pink outer petals, with a hint of magenta, give way to a deep, emerald-green inner whorl at the very centre of the flower.

The contrast is softened by a gradual grading of colour from pink through white and the effect is wonderful.

This is a new clone for 2009 and I have to point out that the picture of what is a newly-opened flower does not do this clone full justice. The reality is of a much more attractive flower, beautifully set off by the leafy bracts behind.

Hepatica Kagura

Of the same sumptuous colouring as Getsurin but quite distinct from that clone.

This has petals of a darker shade and a different shape. The inner, strongly curled whorl is violet, rather than white, but has a contrasting central white stripe, which becomes yellow at about the point that the pollen would be if the petal were still the anther that has mutated to produce it.

Hepatica Kousei

One of the most exquisite of our Japanese Hepatica, Kousei is one of the newest and rarest. We have again been lucky in being allocated just a few plants.

Fully doubled flowers of the purest symmetry imaginable, this has well formed, broad white petals with wide and prominent bright deep-pink stripes down the exact centre of each and every one, right down to the tiniest central frill.

This is extremely beautiful.