Edgeworthia

December will be a time of transition for Edgeworthia.

Often called paperbush, this month Edgeworthia will drop its emerald green leaves early and the stage will be set for a winter show. By the end of the year, bare stems will develop tightly packed tubular flower buds. As the new year develops, buds will become sweet-smelling candelabras of beautiful yellow flowers.
 
In its native China, you would find Edgeworthia clinging to stream banks and hovering on the edge of woodlands. Here in the Midsouth, partial shade or more shade is a must for the plant to be successful. It will find a happy home in areas with rich organic soils that don’t completely dry out. Edgeworthia quickly makes a multi-stemmed woody shrub of 6 feet or less when provided the right growing conditions. Training a plant to a single stem also can be a nice effect. Those familiar with the closely related plant Daphne might recognize some similar characteristics.
 
When I was first introduced to this plant I made the assumption that its common name, paperbush, was given to it because of its paper-thin leaves. However, the common name refers to paper products made from the woody bark and stem of the plant.

In a 1920 edition of the “Paper Trade Journal,” Clarence Jay West lists reading suggestions for different paper-making materials. He lists several references in the late 1800s on Edgeworthia in places like Nepal, Japan and China. He also states that Edgeworthia and Daphne are good choices for fine paper when strength is also required.
 
For those interested in botanical nomenclature and taxonomy you will run into unfortunate confusion with this plant. You will most often find Edgeworthia chrysantha in the trade; its leaves are of a good size and flowers are showy. You may also run into Edgeworthia papyrifera, which is sometimes used as a synonym for E. chrysantha or to refer to a plant with overall smaller characteristics. Additionally, in some specialty nurseries you will find cultivars like ‘Rubra’ or ‘Red Dragon’ that produce reddish-orange flowers. These red-flowering plants tend to have leaves that are slightly less attractive and do not demonstrate the vigor or ease of growth found in E. chrysantha.
 
Edgeworthia is truly a four-season plant. In the summer, the plant is covered in beautiful elongated 5-inch leaves that hold droplets of water on a finely pubescent surface. In fall, leaves drop to reveal a beautifully structured plant that develops sweet-smelling winter flowers.
 
Edgeworthia is hardy for almost all in the state of Tennessee when it is sited properly. Spring planting seems to be the trick to getting it off to the right start.
 
Andy Pulte teaches public horticulture and other courses as a member of the faculty in the University of Tennessee Department of Plant Sciences and he participates in planning for the UT Gardens. The University of Tennessee Gardens located in Knoxville and Jackson are part of the UT Institute of Agriculture. Their mission is to foster appreciation, education and stewardship of plants through garden displays, collections, educational programs and research trials. The gardens are open during all seasons and free to the public. See utgardens.tennessee.edu and westtennessee.tennessee.edu/ornamentals/ for more information.