Friday, September 27, 2013

A case of mistaken identity?

I swung by the local garden center last week to pick up some planting compost and, as I usually do, cruised the plant aisles to see if there was anything new and exciting.  I came upon a Leucadendron with exceptionally dark foliage.  It looked like L. 'Ebony' but it was labeled as L. 'Safari Sunset.'  The tag also didn't reflect the going rate for 'Ebony,' which I've seen priced at nearly $150.

I nearly picked it up right then but the dimensions shown on the pot put me off.  I wasn't sure I had a sunny spot large enough for a plant the tag claimed would grow 8-10 feet tall and 6-8 feet wide.  At $40, I didn't want to bring it home only to find myself challenged as to what to do with it.  When I got home, I pulled up on-line references to L. 'Safari Sunset' and, true to my recollections, these showed a plant with foliage that was more green than the purplish-black of the plants I'd seen.  I was fairly certain that the plants I saw were Leucadendron 'Ebony' masquerading as their parent, L. 'Safari Sunset.'

I finally got back to the garden center late this afternoon.  The plants were still there so I brought one home.

Leucadendron 'Ebony' found labeled as 'Safari Sunset'

Closer look at the foliage


What do you think?  Am I mistaken as to the plant's identity, or did the nursery mislabel it?  In either case, it's a handsome plant.  Assuming that it gets no more than 4 feet tall and 3-5 feet wide, I have 2 prospective spots for it.  And I can do a lot with that $110 price differential.

7 comments:

  1. Kris, is the name of the grower that the nursery bought this from on the tag ?

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    1. Native Sons is selling them, Kathy.

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    2. Hoover Boo is right - the tag shows Native Sons as the grower. I picked this one up at my local Armstrong garden center.

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  2. That's 'Ebony', alright. Enjoy! Don't stick it in the shade (been there, killed that).

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  3. Wow what a score!!! It's kind of shocking how frequently plants are mislabeled.

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    Replies
    1. I couldn't believe my eyes the 1st time I saw it, despite rumors that there were deals to be found. I'm glad the plants didn't disappear while I dithered about checking internet sources for confirmation!

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