Tricyrtis macropoda var. macropoda ("Yamahototogisu")

Japanese name: ヤマホトトギス （山杜鵑草）
Scientific name: Tricyrtis macropoda var. macropoda

[Overview]
A perennial growing in slightly moist places in forests in the mountains.
The stem is zigzag.
The leaves are simple and alternate, oblong, 8–15 cm long.
Flowers are borne facing upward in cymes at the stem tips and in the leaf axils in the upper part of the stem.
The flowers are cup-shaped with 6 tepals, which are strongly recurved and white, with reddish purple spots all over the inside and yellow spots at the base.
The style of the pistil is divided into 3 parts, each of which is further divided into 2 lobes and opens flat.
There are 6 stamens; the filaments rise along the styles and curve back at the top, bearing the anthers facing outward.
The filaments and styles have reddish purple spots.
Some plants have flowers with almost no spots.
The fruit is a capsule 3 cm long.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed, by division, or by shoot cuttings.
It prefers well-drained soil in bright partial shade.
It prefers high humidity in the air, so it is better to avoid places that dry out easily.
For potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; for plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient unless summer brings a long spell of sunny weather and the soil becomes severely dry.
If a slow-release fertilizer rich in phosphorus is applied as a base fertilizer, no further feeding is particularly necessary, but for potted plants, slow-release fertilizer may be placed on the soil once a month in spring.
Pests and diseases include southern blight and slugs.

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