''Aspidistra elatior'', the cast-iron-plant or bar-room plant, also known in Japanese as ''haran'' or ''baran'' (葉蘭) is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Asparagaceae Asparagaceae (), known as the asparagus family, is a family of flowering plants, placed in the order Asparagales of the monocots. The family name is based on the edible garden asparagus, '' Asparagus officinalis''. This family includes both ...

native Native may refer to: People * '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood * '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Nat ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

and

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

. Tolerant of neglect, it is widely cultivated as a

houseplant A houseplant, also known as a pot plant, potted plant, or indoor plant, is an ornamental plant cultivated indoors. for aesthetic or practical purposes. These plants are commonly found in House, homes, Office, offices, and various indoor spaces, w ...

, but can also be grown outside in shade where temperatures remain above . It is used as training material for the '' seika'' form of ''

ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. It is also known as . The origin of ikebana can be traced back to the ancient Japanese custom of erecting Evergreen, evergreen trees and decorating them with flowers as yorishiro () to invite the go ...

''.

Description

Growing to tall and wide, it is an

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...

rhizomatous In botany and dendrology, a rhizome ( ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

perennial, with glossy dark green leaves long, and fleshy, 8-lobed cream flowers with maroon colouring on the inner surface, borne in early summer.

Pollination

According to a study published in 2018, ''A. elatior'' appears to be mainly pollinated by

fungus gnats Fungus gnats are small, dark, short-lived gnats, of the families Sciaridae, Diadocidiidae, Ditomyiidae, Keroplatidae, Bolitophilidae, and Mycetophilidae (order Diptera); they comprise six of the seven families placed in the superfamily Sciaro ...

('' Cordyla sixi'' and '' Bradysia'' spp.'')''.

Distribution

Although sometimes thought to be of Chinese origin, the species is in fact native to southern Japan, including Kuroshima, Suwanosejima and the Uji Islands. It occurs in association with overstorey species such as '' Ardisia sieboldii'' and '' Castanopsis sieboldii''.

Cultivation

''A. elatior'' is well known in cultivation and has a reputation for withstanding neglect, giving rise to its common name of cast-iron plant. It is tolerant of low light, low humidity, temperature fluctuation and irregular watering. It is best situated in a position away from direct sun to avoid leaf bleaching. Good drainage is also required for optimal growth and to avoid root rot. Widely grown as a house plant, it can also be grown successfully outdoors in shade in temperate climates, where plants will generally cope with temperatures down to , being killed by frosts of or below. The species is not seriously troubled by insects, but

mite Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods) of two large orders, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari. However, most recent genetic analyses do not recover the two as eac ...

s and scale may cause occasional problems. Its leaves and roots may be subject to browsing by hoofed mammals such as deer, as well as rodents and rabbits. This plant has gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. It includes the full range of cultivated p ...

. A number of

cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...

s are available, including: *'Asahi' (meaning "morning sun" in Japanese) – the leaves open chocolate brown, turning green from the base upwards *'Hoshi-zora' (meaning "starry sky" in Japanese) – large, faintly speckled leaves *'Lennon's Song' – long narrow ends to the leaves and a central paler green stripe (discovered by an American grower of cut foliage, Robin Lennon) *'Variegata' – with white stripes running along the length of the leaf; has also won the AGM ''A. elatior'' 'Milky Way' is properly '' A. lurida'' 'Ginga'.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3239567 elatior Flora of Japan Plants described in 1834 Garden plants of Asia House plants Drought-tolerant plants Low light plants