Rohdea (Sacred Lily)

Juniper Level Botanic Garden - An Ex-Situ Conservation Garden 

Our Mission is to Collect, Study, Propagate, and Share

As of 2018, JLBG has just over 25,000 taxa of living plants, making the collection one of the most diverse in the world. Fundraising for an operational endowment to preserve the garden is underway, administered by NC State University. If you'd like to help preserve the gardens and plant collections for future generations, you can do so with a tax-deductible contribution at JLBG.org and click on the Donate Link.

At Juniper Level Botanic Garden, part of our mission is to educate and share both plants and information. This photo/informational gallery is devoted to cataloging as many forms as possible. It is our hope that this photographic study gallery can also prevent duplicate use of names and prevent confusion in the trade.

Rohdea is a genus of shade plants with a native distribution that includes Bhutan, China, India, Japan, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Rohdeas currently reside in the Asparagus family, closely related to aspidistra, hosta, agave, dracena, and of course, asparagus. Everytime a new DNA/taxonomic study is published, rohdeas are moved in an out of three closely related genera (Campylandra, Gonioscypha, Tilcusta, and Tupistra). 

For years, Rohdea, named in 1821, was considered monotypic (one species), Rohdea japonica (formerly Orontium japonicum (1784). In 2000, 14 species of rohdea and tupistra were all transfered to the genus Campylandra. In 2003, Tanaka, Tamura, and Yamashita merged campylandra with rohdea, and instantly, the number of rohdea species swelled to 10. In 2004, Yamashita and Tamura transferred 15 species to rohdea, including many of the same ones that Tanaka had proposed. New rohdea species continue to be discovered as late as 2018, bringing the total number to 20. As of 2018, JLBG has 6 of the 20 rohdea species in cultivation. 

Species of Rohdea

• Rohdea chinensis var. chinensis (aka: Tupistra/Camplyandra fargesii, Tupistra lorifolia, Tupistra/Campylandra viridifolia, Rohdea/Tupistra watanabei, Campylandra kwantungensis, Tupistra yunnanensis, Tupistra sparsiflora, Tupistra heensis) is known from twelve Chinese provinces and Taiwan
• Rohdea chinensis var. tsinlingensis is only found in Shaanxi, China
• Rohdea chlorantha (aka: Tupistra/Campylandra chinensis, Tupistra chlorantha) is from Sichuan, China
• Rohdea delavayi (aka:Tupistra/Campylandra delavayi, Tupistra/Campylandra fimbriata, Rohdea lihengiana) is from six Chinese provinces.
• Rohdea dracaenoides is from Cambodia, Laos
• Rohdea emeiensis (aka: Tupistra/Campylandra emeiensis) is from Sichuan, China
• Rohdea ensifolia (aka: Tupistra/Camplyandra ensifolia) is only native to Yunnan, China
• Rohdea eucomoides (aka: Gonioscypha eucomoides) is from India and Myanmar (Burma)
• Rohdea extrorsandra is from Mizoram, India.
• Rohdea filosa is from North Vietnam
• Rohdea harderi is from North Vietnam
• Rohdea japonica (aka: Orontium japonicum) - native to China and Japan
• Rohdea jinshanensis (aka: Tupistra/Campylandra jinshanensis) is from Sichuan, China
• Rohdea lichuanensis (aka: Tupistra/Campylandra lichuanensis) is from SW Hubei, China
• Rohdea longipedunculata (aka: Tupistra/Campylandra longipedunculata) is from Yunnan, China
• Rohdea nepalensis (aka: Tilcusta nepalensis, Tupistra/Camplyandra aurantiaca, Tupistra liangshanensis) is from Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, and Nepal
• Rohdea pachynema (aka: Campylandra pachynema, Campylandra viridiflora, Tupistra/Campylandra chinensis) is native to Sichuan and Yunnan, China; similar to R. chinensis, but stoloniferous
• Rohdea siamensis (aka: Campylandra siamensis) is a native to Northern Thailand and Laos
• Rohdea tonkinensis (aka: Campylandra cauliflora, Tupistra tonkinensis, Tupistra/Campylandra wattii, Campylandra longibracteata) is from SW China and Vietnam
• Rohdea urotepala (aka: Tupistra/Campylandra urotepala, Rohdea/Tupistra/Campylandra tui) is from Sichuan and Yunnan, China
• Rohdea verruculosa (aka:Tupistra/Campylandra verruculosa, Tupistra/Campylandra annulata) is from Guizhour and Yunnan, China
• Rohdea wattii (aka: Tupistra/Campylandra wattii) is from Bhutan, China, India, and Vietnam

JLBG Notes on the genus rohdea

We feel that Rohdea watanabe from Taiwan is different enough that it whould be elevated back to species status, or at the very least the subspecies rank. It is a very different plant from Rohdea chinensis from the mainland.

We also feel that a plant we grow as Rohdea sp. nov. is a new species that deserves to be named. It flowers in November and December, which is a season in which no other rohdea species flower. We welcome all comments on the gallery as well as images to post to make the gallery more complete. Please send all correspondence to office@plantdelights.com

Cultivated forms of Rohdea japonica

Many of the cultivated forms of Rohdea japonica developed in Japan are given names representing natural features in Japan.  In Japanese, the same word may have a different meaning depending on how it is used. A few of these terms include;

• Aki - bright, hope, autumn
• Akikaze - autumn wind
• Akira - bright, clear
• Ami - beautiful
• Buchi - mottled, spotted, speckled, or dotted
• Chiyo - thousand
• Chou - butterfly
• Den - palace
• Dragon - ridges on the upper leaf surface
• Fuchi - edge or margin
• Fuji - wisteria
• Fukurin - margined leaves
• Gyoku - jewel
• Haru - light, son, male
• Hikari - light
• Hitomi - light of the pupil, history
• Ho - male phoenix
• Hoshi - star
• Hotaru - firefly
• Izumi - fountain, spring
• Kafu - family riches, baby
• Kan - crown
• Katsuo - victory
• Kazuki - harmony, peace, brightness
• Ken - healthy, strong
• Kifukurin - yellow edge
• Kirishima - A mountain in Japan
• Kiyoshi - pure
• Ko - small
• Mame - pea
• Mami - genuine, beautiful
• Matsu - waiting for God's soul to descend 
• Mitsuko - light, child
• Misho - seedling 
• Nishiki - brilliant brocade
• Noboru - rise, ascend
• Noburu - extend, stretch
• Nori - rites, ceremony
• Rei - beautiful, lovely, bell
• Ryou - cool, distant, reality
• Ryu - dragon
• Sakai - boundry
• Saki - blossom, hope
• Satsuma - old name for Southern Kyushu
• Sekkei - Snow
• Shima - Striped
• Shin - real, genuine
• Shiro - white
• Shishi - lion
• Suzume - sparrow
• Taiyoden - great western hall
• Taisho - Taisho era in early 20th century
• Taka - hawk
• Tamagawa - name of a Japanese river
• Tenko - light in sky/heaven
• Tora - tiger
• Yuki - happiness, snow
• Washi - eagle
• Zu - dotted leaves

Rohdeas are also divided into several groups, based on the form/size, and leaf patterns. These include:

• Bellring Insect - leaf tips form a horn-like point, margins rolled back to form horns
• Bold Dragon - Gashi dragon on steroids 
• Gashi Dragon - leaves are variegated and ridged
• Giant - large forms with upright leaves, also know as Rasha 
• Grains of Sand - leaves with speckled variegation
• Jumping Dragon - leaves margins are raised to fuse at the tip
• Lion - curled leaves
• Noshiba - leaves are rolled inward
• Outline - leaves are edged with white or yellow
• Striped - leaves banded vertically with white or yellow stripes
• Sword - very narrow leaves
• Tiger - leaves banded vertically

Bibliography

*A Taxonomic Revision of the Genus Rohdea (Asparagaceae); Tanaka; Makinoa N.S. 9: 1-54 (2010)

*New Combinations in Rohdea (Convallariaceae); Tanaka; Novon Vol. 13, No3; Autumn 2003, PP 329-333

*Plant of Good Fortune; Hattori, Kenji and Grounds, Roger; The Garden, July 1994

*https://www.behindthename.com/names/usage/japanese

*Rohdea extrorsandra (Asparagaceae), a new species from north-eastern India;N. Odyuo , Dilip Kr. Roy,  & Leonid V. Averyanov; Phytotaxa 309 (3): 283–287; 2017