A novel hybrid: X Chitalpa tashkentensis

摘要

The subject of Niki Simpson's painting is a small tree or large shrub that has been in cultivation in the USA for about twenty years, but only very recently has it begun to become available in the European nursery trade. The current RHS Plant Finderlists but two suppliers, and the PPP Index (3rd edn) lists one each in Belgium and the Netherlands. However, its performance in North America suggests that this hybrid also has considerable garden potential in parts of Europe, including the British Isles. Recently, it has crossed the Atlantic to Europe, and the few young specimens at Wisley, for example, should be watched with interest as they develop over the next few years. So far, it has exhibited little in the way of disease problems or limitationsof growth habit, but it is far too early to make a full assessment. In addition, in the United States, it has proved to be very tolerant of windy situations. For a hybrid between two North American species to bear the epithet tashkentensis suggests an interesting origin and that this is the case will become apparent below.