| LAPAGERIA rosea (Chilean Bellflower, Copihue): History, Cultivation and Propagation
A revered climbing vine, yet scarcely offered in cultivation, Lapageria rosea deserves to grow in everyone’s temperate garden. Upheld for the beauty its deeply red lily-shaped flowers offer as ornament to the rain forests of its native Chile, it is honored there as the national flower. Its three to four inch flowers, borne from summer to early winter, possess a distinctive thick waxy cuticle, and hang like red to rose bells from the upper leaf axils. Variants with denser waxier texture are sought for their esteemed quality. As an evergreen climber with deep green leathery leaves on wiry vines that twine up to 15 feet in cultivation, longer yet in the wild, it twines vertically at first, and then takes on a horizontal pattern. It grows upwards, its free end arching, and circling, as John Smith of Kew Gardens, in Curtis’s Botanical Magazine points out, in a clockwise direction in its search for support. A terrestrial plant in origin, the Lapageria evolved into a woody climber in its search for sunlight deep in its native forests, wrote Smith. Flowers flare into a trumpet shape of six tepals, three inner and three outer. While the sole species of this genus, member of the Philesiaceae family, is a saturated rose red , Lapagerias range in color from white, cream, blush, pinks, to the speckled picotees.
While few areas of the world mimic the temperate maritime weather of its native soil so as to support this plant’s needs, our coastal California climate does. Situated geographically along the western coast of South America between 30 and 45 degrees of latitude, its native conditions to some degree mirror our northern hemisphere locale, situated at similar latitude, with seasons reversed. The cold current that runs from Antarctica up the South American coast north to Chile finds its companion here along our California coast. Marked by warm, dry summers moderated along the coast by fog spill-off from cold ocean currents traveling south, the Chilean Bellflower, or ‘Copihue’, thrives in the Bay Area home garden where it can readily be grown out of doors. Known to be hardy to zone 9, with reports of success in zone 8 under protected conditions, those outside of these zones may try their hand at growing it under glass.
Copihue, its Araucan common name, or the Chilean Bellflower carries with it a romantic history, that parallels Shakespeare’s 1594 English-speaking version of star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet. Legend has it that two offspring, Copih and Hues of sparring Araucan pehuenches and mapuche tribes, met and fell in love. With their families mortal enemies, the forest provided them shelter to meet in secret. One day embracing by a lagoon, their families discovered them. Nahuel, head of the mapuche tribe and Princess Hues’ father, enraged at what he saw, threw his lance and penetrated Copih’s heart. With his death, Prince Copih sank into the lagoon waters. Copiniel, head of the pehuenches tribe and Copih’s father, likewise angered at the children’s involvement, slew the princess who upon death joined her lover in the lagoon. The tribal families mourned their children’s death. After the passing of a year, the two tribes met back at the lagoon to remember them. They arrived at night, and slept along the lagoon’s edge. At dawn, an event unfolded. Two intercrossed lances rose from the lagoon bottom, a creeping vine (enredadera) connected them, from which hung beautiful blood red and milky white flowers. The enemy tribes recognized the enormity of this occurrence, and reconciled. To commemorate the union of their offspring, Copih and Hues, they named the flower ‘copihue’.
Its Latinate, botanical name, Lapageria likewise sheds light on this vine. Lapageria derives from Lapagerie, the maiden name of Napoleon’s Empress Josephine. Her ardent support for plant life led her to create Malmaison garden, near Paris, where she housed a remarkable collection of exotic plant material. Botanists honored her service to horticulture, by bestowing this plant her name.
As a sturdy, twining vine, Lapageria is versatile. In its native Valdivian temperate rain forests, a narrow coastal strip that runs between the Pacific Ocean to the west, and the southern Andes Mountains to the east, at roughly 34-41 degrees latitude, it creeps among broadleaf and mixed forest understory shrubs, and high into trees such as Guevina avellana and Persealingue, part of the Valdivian flora. It is most commonly found from the Maule River to Lake Llanquilhue. For the home garden, its uses are many. It can be trained to climb up a tree, arbor, pillar or espalier on a garden wall.
Cultivation & Cultural Practices:
Lapageria rosea thrives in mildly acidic, well-drained conditions favorable to fellow understory plants: azaleas, rhododendrons and camellias. This plant does best with its base well protected in shade, while its tips grow through surrounding shrubs and trees, into sunlight. Lapageria require warm, temperate growing conditions, with reliable rainfall. Natural settings include coastal shaded slopes in steep ravines where moist air provides humidity, and alongside bodies of water. Lapageria prefer mildly acidic soil with good drainage. To achieve this, garden soil can me amended with equal parts of peat moss, ¼ inch grade bark chips, leaf mold provide and garden soil for planting in the ground. Container culture differs only slightly with the additional part of perlite. The San Francisco Bay Area and coastal California approximate coastal Chile growing conditions, and provide fine climatic conditions for growing this subtropical plant in the U.S.
Propagation:
Lapageria are commonly grown from seed, cutting or layering. For seed, pre-soak for three days in warm water, changing water often, 3-5 times per day. Then stratify for one to three months at 4 C. Stored seed germinates within one to three months. Once seed ripens in September to October, sow two to three seeds per pot in humus-rich well draining soil in a heated setting. Remove fruit, which may contain germination inhibitors, before sowing seed. Stratify stored seeds typically germinate in six weeks at 20 C.
Layering: Layer either in spring before new growth begins or in autumn in a box, under 1 1/2 to 2 inches of soil, as Elbert Reed recommends. Coil the vine in a serpentine figure in the box, and cover well with soil or sand. Patience is needed for the leaf axils to swell and transform to a bulblet. Keep well moistened.
At the U.C. Botanical Garden, Berkeley, propagation of cuttings is approached in a routine manner. Cuttings of 18 inches long strands or longer of new vine recently harden are taken. Coarse perlite is used for the lower 2/3 of a six inch pot, and the upper 1/3 of pot filled with a mix consisting of 95% regular perlite & 5% peat moss. The cutting strands are laid down and arranged within the confines of the pot and held down with hair pins. While twisting the strand to conform with the leaves tucked up or pulled up to capture light for photosynthesis, the perlite mix is poured such that it will cover the leaf axils and thus holds the leaf in place. The leaf cuttings are kept moist throughout the rooting process.
Cuttings given bottom heat and overhead mist results with aerial growth sprouting from the leaf axils within 4-6 months, sometimes longer. Roots can be expected to form later and the cuttings can be remove from mist bench, divided, and planted as individual plants once a root system has developed (additional 4-8 months).
Cultivars in the UCBG Collection:
Lapageria rosea
Wild red (UCBG 37.1016) is a classic red originating in Trumao, Chile that has been part of the UC Botanical Garden collection since 1937. The flower is a deep well-saturated red, and typically measures 8 cm long and 6 cm wide. The Garden’s South American section, Bed 605, hosts the original plant twining up to the top of an azara tree. This plant is the oldest Lapageria rosea in the Garden collections.
Lapageria rosea ‘Beatrix Anderson’
‘Beatrix Anderson’, an English cultivar named to honor the wife of E.B. Anderson, chairman of the Alpine Garden Society, displays a large red flared flower, stippled white within its outer petals. A sturdy plant that blooms reliably, its heavy crop of flowers measure 9 cm long and 6 cm wide.
Lapageria rosea ‘Caupolican’
‘Caupolican’ (UCBG 66.0624), named after the 16 th century Mapuche chief who led the Indian resistance against the Spanish invaders of Chile , is nicknamed in Spanish “Piedras Preciosas” or “Precious Stones”. It is considered one of the finest red Lapageria cultivars, with richly vivid and stable color. Faint mottling embeds the thickly textured petals of the 9 cm long and 6.5 cm wide flowers. Inner petals are long, wide and flared in contrast to the shorter and narrower outer petals. A cultivar of fine substance and vigor.
Lapageria rosea ‘Cobquecura’
‘Cobquecura’ , sensitive to temperature changes, most often appears blush with striations. Its color varies from blush with streaks of salmon horizontally towards the outer petals, to an overall salmon pink cast, darker coloration highlighting the shoulder and petal tips. The flower typically is 9 cm long and 5.5 cm wide. This cultivar is known for its vigor. Thick, lush new growth commonly occurs. Cuttings from this cultivar root well, though grow slowly.
In 1929, horticulturist Elbert Reed, associated with the Methodist Church Farm, ‘El Vergel’ in Chile where many lapagerias were preserved from extinction, bought this plant from the Larenas family living in Cobquecura, Chile and brought it back to El Vergel. Larenas family members had started collecting Lapageria form the wild well before 1880. From the twenty color forms held in their collection, Reed selected numerous plants, six of which continued to be propagated in the El Vergel nursery.
Lapageria rosea ‘Collinge’
‘Collinge’ (UCBG 52.0791) has pure white ground color and petal edges, as if hand-painted, laced with crimson. Red stippling covers the flowers, 7.5 cm long with a flare of 5 cm, on this most sought after of the picotees. Prolific as a pod parent, it produces large pouches filled with hundreds of seeds. Various names refer to this plant, from ‘Dr. Bullock’, in honor of the long-time director of the El Vergel Agricultural School, to ‘Collinge’, endearing nickname for the Dr.’s flush red cheeks. ‘Mejilla Roja’ is yet another name attributed to this Lapageria. While in England , this cultivar ended up in Wisley and is syn. ‘Wisley Picotee’ from R.H.S.
Lapageria rosea ‘Contulmo’
‘Contulmo’, the most intensely colored of the reds and with heavy texture, is referred to by many as ‘Sangre de Toro’ to capture its dusky-red, oxblood color. Flowers typically grow to 9 cm long and 5 cm wide, and cuttings produce a large number of aerial growths. This cultivar blooms late in the season around the winter solstice and into January & February. Long fabled as the “copihue negro (black)”, ‘Contulmo’ came to El Vergel nursery by way of the Grollmuss family. Elbert Reed, on an expedition to the Grollmuss farm, retrieved several short stem pieces from “a magnificent plant” climbing over the family’s front porch, “covered with flowers of the darkest, most solid red ever observed”. He successfully rooted these back at the nursery. The Grollmuss family, on a continual search for copihue, discovered it on the hillsides and ravines of their land near the town of Contulmo , beside Lake Lanalhue . Its name derives from the farm’s locale. Today,
On the south shore of Lago Lanalhue , you will find Molino Grollmus, an early twentieth-century wooden mill whose gardens contain one of the most impressive collection of copihues and is opened to the public.
Lapageria rosea ‘Exquisita’
‘Exquisita’, is the largest of the blush cultivars, both in length and width of its flare. The flower typically measures 10 cm long and 6 cm wide. Its blush color lightens in warm temperatures to white. Quality of its petals is thick and substantial. This sturdy plant is fairly easy to root. The mother plant is part of the Montenegro Collection donation and unfortunately was unlabeled. There is to believe that it is in fact ‘Rayan’. Instituto Agrícola Metodista EL VERGEL describes the flower “rosado tierno grande y ancha de color rosado apenas visible durante los meses de calor, pero mas tierno en los meses frescos.”, which is a perfect description of ‘Exquisita’s shape & coloration behavior.
Lapageria rosea ‘Ligtromu’
‘Ligtromu’ (UCBG 52.0792) has a white flower, some 9 cm long and 5.5 cm wide, with faint darkening on the shoulder. Unlike other lighter colored Lapageria, ‘Ligtromu’s’ color remains unaffected by temperature variations. This comes from observation of its growth in the Bay Area hills of California . Its vigor is noteworthy. When the Methodist Church purchased the El Vergel farm outside Angol , Chile in 1919 from Chilean farmer and nurseryman Manuel V. Bunster, ‘Ligtromu’ was found growing on the site. Cuttings from this cultivar have proven to be the easiest of the Chilean cultivars to root. When pollinating this cultivar for viable seed, carefully choose the pollen parent for positive results. While it typically produces small seed pods with few seeds as the pod parent, the good germination as well as survival rates outweigh this weakness. This plant is also commonly referred to as “White Cloud” and its Spanish counterpart, “Nube Blanca”.
Lapageria rosea ‘Mission Lace’
‘Mission Lace’ (UCBG 52.0609 ) is a superb, much sought after California cultivar. Its flower, a rich rose-red heavily mottled white both on the outer as well as interior of its petals, measure 9 cm in length and 8.5 cm wide. ‘Mission Lace’ has many qualities, among them is its excellent waxy texture, its vigor and abundance of flowers. As the pod parent, it produces seedlings that often go on to be noteworthy. It was named in 1952 by Paul Hutchinson of the University of California , Berkeley , Botanic Garden.
Lapageria rosea ‘Montenegro’s Red’
‘ Montenegro ’s Red’, a vibrant red Lapageria cultivar named for the collection from which it came, hails from a Chilean grower. The large flowers typically measure 10.5 cm long and 5 cm wide, and are of fine heavy texture. Cuttings from this cultivar have proven to be highly successful, strong growers. Alejandro Montenegro, a Chilean transplant to California , amassed a Lapageria collection which reminded him of his homeland. He brought back plants from the well-regarded Chilean El Vergel Nursery to his Sausalito home. Plants in this collection likewise came by way other fellow collectors and purveyors in Chile , as well as from a priest in the town of Concon , and from a posada, or inn, he stayed at. Under the encouragement of UCBG’s Mr. Carlos Rendon’s in 2004, Mr. Montenegro agreed to donate his collection to the Botanical Garden. ‘ Montenegro ’s Red’ is one of the plants from his collection.
Lapageria rosea ‘Myrtle Wolf’s Pink’
‘Myrtle Wolf’s Pink’, is a soft pink cultivar sensitive to cooler Bay Area temperatures where it darkens to a warm, mid-pink. A California cultivar which originated from Mr. Ed Carmen of Los Gatos , it possesses a hardy constitution. Fairly easy to root from cuttings, it grows quickly into a vigorous, heavy blooming plant, with flowers typically 8 cm long and 5 cm wide. Dr. Sarah Wikander, during her ten year tenure of vine propagation at the Garden, named this plant in honor of Mrs. Myrtle Wolf, in whose Berkeley hills garden it thrives.
Lapageria rosea ‘Nahuelbuta’
‘Nahuelbuta’ (UCBG 66.0619) possesses an elusive color sought after by collectors. A cream color mottled and stained vertically with violet, most prominent in the interior of the three inner tepals gives way in mature specimens to a more pronounced violet lace pattern, in this same area. Flowers, some 9 cm long with a 5.5 cm flare, possess exceptional vigor and texture. Cuttings are quick to root, and provide strong aerial growth. While as a pod parent it yields a high germination rate for its hundreds of seeds, survival rate is less than 75%.
When the Methodist Church acquired El Vergel farm outside Angol , Chile in 1919 from aging Chilean nurseryman and farmer, Manuel V. Bunster, three Lapageria rosea grew on the site. One of these was ‘Nahuelbuta’, named for the nearby national park and mountain range of the same name, to the west of Angol in the La Araucania region. “ Leon grande” is the name used by the Spanish in referring to this plant.
In England , this cultivar ended up in Wisley and is syn. ‘Wisley Spotted’ from R.H.S.
Lapageria rosea ‘Ongol’
‘Ongol’, a good clear rosy salmon color possesses a large 9.5 cm long and 6 cm wide flower. Referred to in Spanish as “Angol” after the Chilean town of its discovery, ‘Ongol’ is its native, Araucan name. Cuttings taken at the right time of the year are not difficult to root. It is also one of the newer cultivars originating at El Vergel being identified as a notable offspring of crosses made in the nursery at the time.
Lapageria rosea ‘Quelipichum’
‘Quelipichum’ is that rarity among Lapageria rosea, a double flowered red. This double quality carries through the entire plant, that wears its nine petalled flowers, typically 10 cm long and 7.5 cm wide, like a graceful strand of red ruffles. While this plant carries much beauty and is well sought after, it lacks the simple elegance of the single copihue. Its vigor, too, is compromised: a thick shoot rarely rises up, and vine strands typically are thin and weak. The Sweet family, collectors of Lapageria at their Tumbes farm near Talcahuano , Chile discovered this plant, which then found its way to El Vergel Nursery. Its cuttings root easily and provide good aerial growth.
Lapageria rosea ‘Raimilla’
‘Ramilla’ (UCBG 66.0620) is a large ivory cream Lapageria, often with specks of red and occasionally small red streakings to enliven its petals. The flowers typically measure 9 cm long and 6 cm wide. Referred to in Spanish as “Flor de oro”, Flower of gold, El Vergel referred to its color as creamy white marble. Elbert Reed purchased this plant for El Vergel, among others, in 1929 from the Larenas family living in Cobquecura , Chile . This family who started amassing Lapageria from the wild well before 1880, collected nearly twenty color varieties near their homestead in Cobquecura, including pure red, several whites, whites with lavender shading, two forms of white streaked with red, a cream color, and pinks. While cuttings from this plant root well, aerial growth is weak, thin and it develops slowly into a mature plant.
Lapageria rosea ‘Toqui’
‘Toqui’ (UCBG 66.0623) has the longest white lily-shaped flowers of the cultivars. The pure white flowers, with stable color despite temperature variations, typically measure 11 cm long and 6 cm wide. This cultivar has good vigor with the ability to develop into a large specimen plant. Cuttings root well, although as with all Lapageria, growth is slow and demands patience. ‘Toqui’ in Mauche Indian language translates to chief, which also carries through to its Spanish name, “Jefe de caciques”.
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