# Three Spurs Are Better Than One!



## Lanmark (Apr 15, 2010)

_Neofinetia falcata_, variety _'Manjyushage'_ is spiking with three buds. The division is very small so I feel quite lucky to get any flowers at all on it this year.  I think I can finally see now that all of the buds are developing three spurs as they should be. :drool: The buds and their spurs are awfully tiny at the moment, but I still managed to capture a glimpse of the "action" just in case any of you are interested.


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## NYEric (Apr 15, 2010)

Good photo! 
_"Crazy Neo people!" _


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## Linh (Apr 15, 2010)

Nice! I have a Nishidemiyako that bloomed with 2 spurs on one of the growths last year. I'm waiting to see if the spike on that same growth this year does the same thing. Weird.


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## smartie2000 (Apr 15, 2010)

neat!
hmmm peloric...


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## Lanmark (Apr 15, 2010)

NYEric said:


> Good photo!
> _"Crazy Neo people!" _



Thanks! It's hard getting those macro shots, NYEric 



Linh said:


> Nice! I have a Nishidemiyako that bloomed with 2 spurs on one of the growths last year. I'm waiting to see if the spike on that same growth this year does the same thing. Weird.



Wow! How unexpected! You got two spurs on a 'Nishidemiyako' ?! :drool: Sweet! Do let us know if it happens again this year! I have a 'Soubiryuu' which is supposed to get two lips and two spurs, but it is not consistent from one year to the next.




smartie2000 said:


> neat!
> hmmm peloric...



It really is neat!  ...and worth every penny! :rollhappy: Now if I could just get my two 'Hanakanzashi' plants to bloom out this year with three spurs on the flowers I'd be a happy camper! :clap:


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## NYEric (Apr 15, 2010)

Lanmark said:


> Thanks! It's hard getting those macro shots, NYEric



I have a special camera I could sell you, cheap! oke: :evil:


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## Lanmark (Apr 15, 2010)

NYEric said:


> I have a special camera I could sell you, cheap! oke: :evil:



a-huh


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## etex (Apr 15, 2010)

Very cool! Nice close up!


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## KyushuCalanthe (Apr 15, 2010)

Good for you!  It indeed does look like the real thing.


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## Jorch (Apr 15, 2010)

Exciting!! Can't wait to see the flower


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## SlipperFan (Apr 15, 2010)

You must be very pleased, Mark! I look forward to seeing the full bloom.


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## Lanmark (Apr 24, 2010)

SlipperFan said:


> You must be very pleased, Mark! I look forward to seeing the full bloom.



Indeed I am very pleased! The three little buds are coming along very nicely. It looks like there might be a fourth one attempting to develop but I'm not optimistic about its chances. 'Homeiden' is spiking now, too, as is 'Unkai'.  I'll have to drag out the camera and get busy pretty soon.


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## Linh (Apr 25, 2010)

Do you know if Manjyushage has pollen?? Or is it sterile, like Shunkyuuden? If it DOES have pollen, are you interested in selling some of that pollen? My Kuro Shinjyu is in spike again this year and so is my Benkeimaru. So I was hoping to do some experimenting.:wink:


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## neo-guy (Apr 25, 2010)

Very cool...is this a seedling? or a division of the original plant? I have 1 seedling but is yet to bloom. I'm not even sure if they come true to seed or not!
Pete


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## KyushuCalanthe (Apr 25, 2010)

neo-guy said:


> Very cool...is this a seedling? or a division of the original plant? I have 1 seedling but is yet to bloom. I'm not even sure if they come true to seed or not!
> Pete



Hey Pete, are you sure you have a seedling and not a mericlone? The last couple years mericlones of these have been flooding the market here in Japan. Everybody is waiting and wondering if they will flower true. I picked up a couple nice ones in Tokyo this February. Let's hope they don't have normal flowers!


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## Lanmark (Apr 25, 2010)

Linh said:


> Do you know if Manjyushage has pollen?? Or is it sterile, like Shunkyuuden? If it DOES have pollen, are you interested in selling some of that pollen? My Kuro Shinjyu is in spike again this year and so is my Benkeimaru. So I was hoping to do some experimenting.:wink:



This is my first bloom on this plant. I have no idea if it will have pollen  and I have no knowledge or experience in collecting or preserving its viability. I simply grow a lot of Neos 'cause I like them so very much.  Does removing pollen destroy the flower? Can pollen be mailed?  You have Benkeimaru?! :drool: I was just trying to get one of those but no such luck...



neo-guy said:


> Very cool...is this a seedling? or a division of the original plant? I have 1 seedling but is yet to bloom. I'm not even sure if they come true to seed or not!
> Pete



This is a division from Jason Fischer. 



KyushuCalanthe said:


> The last couple years mericlones of these have been flooding the market here in Japan. Everybody is waiting and wondering if they will flower true. I picked up a couple nice ones in Tokyo this February. Let's hope they don't have normal flowers!



You are soooooo lucky to have such great access to so many varieties of Neofiinetia falcata!


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## PaphMadMan (Apr 25, 2010)

Lanmark said:


> ... Does removing pollen destroy the flower? Can pollen be mailed?  You have Benkeimaru?! :drool: I was just trying to get one of those but no such luck...



No damage is caused to the flower if you are careful, but removing pollen can make a flower fade faster. Removing just half the pollen may limit that. In most species pollen can easily be mailed. Just make sure it doesn't stay too moist. Airtight = wet = rot.


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## KyushuCalanthe (Apr 25, 2010)

Lanmark said:


> This is a division from Jason Fischer.



No worries then, that's the real deal!



> You are soooooo lucky to have such great access to so many varieties of Neofiinetia falcata!



Yes, it is pretty easy to get Japanese plants - now accessing North American plants is another issue altogether!


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## Lanmark (Apr 25, 2010)

KyushuCalanthe said:


> Yes, it is pretty easy to get Japanese plants - now accessing North American plants is another issue altogether!



Sigh...but I'm into the Japanese plants. oke:


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## SlipperFan (Apr 25, 2010)

Photo, Mark????????


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## Lanmark (Apr 26, 2010)

SlipperFan said:


> Photo, Mark????????



I'll get to it, Dot oke:  ...I've just been so busy. This week especially will be nuts! The buds are still small so I have plenty of time. :wink: I think the sun will come out this week and make for better photos anyway.


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## myxodex (Apr 26, 2010)

Great! keep us posted photographically. This is one of a number of neos on my wish list. Although I don't care for a lot of the rare and expensive neos, the ones I drool over are however mostly in this category ... damn! I got a Benikanzashi and lost the main growth, fortunately the smaller growth is doing well. I've seen it written that Manjyushage is the only three-spurred variety that is consistent and that both Benikanzashi and Hanakanzashi only sometimes produce three spurs ... is this true ?

Cheers,
Tim


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## Lanmark (Apr 26, 2010)

myxodex said:


> I got a Benikanzashi and lost the main growth, fortunately the smaller growth is doing well. I've seen it written that Manjyushage is the only three-spurred variety that is consistent and that both Benikanzashi and Hanakanzashi only sometimes produce three spurs ... is this true ?
> 
> Cheers,
> Tim



I've found that Benikanzashi is a very difficult plant. It simply doesn't want to thrive for me. Hanakanzashi, on the other hand, is much more vigorous.

Yes, it is true that divisions of these two red-flowered varieties do not consistently produce three spurs on all the flowers all the time (and seedlings may never produce flowers with three spurs). Sometimes the flowers will be normal, sometimes some of them will have three spurs while others on the same plant will have two long spurs and one short spur, one long and one or two short spurs, or one normal spur and one or more tiny misplaced spurs. Sometimes the flowers will have only one spur but also look like they have some kind of shoulder pad thing going on. :rollhappy:

Seedlings of Manjyushage may or may not produce three spurs. My understanding is that true divisions of Manjyushage will consistently produce three-spurred flowers. I don't know about the mericlones. My plant is a division, and this is its first bloom. Another feature of Manjyushage which I quite like is the bright pink color of the root tips. It's almost as nice as that seen on Homeiden.


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## neo-guy (Apr 26, 2010)

I did not know any Neos' had been cloned! I had heard a story that the Japanese really frowned upon cloning of their Neos, and that any who did so were threatened with their life! Maybe just urban legend.....!
Pete


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## KyushuCalanthe (Apr 26, 2010)

neo-guy said:


> I did not know any Neos' had been cloned! I had heard a story that the Japanese really frowned upon cloning of their Neos, and that any who did so were threatened with their life! Maybe just urban legend.....!
> Pete



That's pretty standard practice from what I hear for some of them - the tiger leaf types in particular. That urban legend may not be totally untrue though, especially if Yakuza were involved.


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## Lanmark (Apr 27, 2010)

Photo update! The buds continue to develop. :clap:

Photo with shadow






Detail from Photo with shadow





Another view





And a gratuitous shot of 'Houmeiden' in bud


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## NYEric (Apr 27, 2010)

That is a strange thingie!


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## KyushuCalanthe (Apr 27, 2010)

No doubt about it having 3 spurs! Very cool! I won't ask you paid for it...


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## Linh (Apr 27, 2010)

KyushuCalanthe said:


> No doubt about it having 3 spurs! Very cool! I won't ask you paid for it...


I remember seeing that division at OL when it first came in. From what I recall, the price was not too crazy, for a neo, that is


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## SlipperFan (Apr 27, 2010)

Beautiful photos, Mark. Thanks for making them.

What an interesting plant!


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## Marco (Apr 27, 2010)

nice...although looking at neo photos make me depressed because i cant have any at the moment


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## Lanmark (Apr 27, 2010)

KyushuCalanthe said:


> No doubt about it having 3 spurs! Very cool! I won't ask [what] you paid for it...





Linh said:


> I remember seeing that division at OL when it first came in. From what I recall, the price was not too crazy, for a neo, that is


Tracy is correct. Honestly it wasn't terribly expensive...relatively speaking, for a Neo, that is. I have paid much more for a single Neo plant.  Not that I enjoy paying high prices, especially these days in this economy  but sometimes an addict's gotta do what an addict's gotta do. :rollhappy:



SlipperFan said:


> Beautiful photos, Mark. Thanks for making them.
> 
> What an interesting plant!



Thanks, Dot!  I'm liking this plant more and more every day. :clap:



Marco said:


> nice...although looking at neo photos make me depressed because i cant have any at the moment



Why can't you have any, Marco?


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## NYEric (Apr 29, 2010)

Lanmark said:


> Why can't you have any,
> Marco?


Because they make him crash his car! oke:


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## Lanmark (May 2, 2010)

Today I was not "one with the camera", but in the interest of keeping everyone up to date, here are the crappy photos I managed to take:

The _'Manjyushage'_ buds continue to develop. It looks like the first one is about ready to open.





The violet-pink coloration of the flower pedicels on _'Houmeiden'_ almost seem to glow!


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## Jorch (May 2, 2010)

Very nice and interesting!! Another one on the wishlist


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## SlipperFan (May 2, 2010)

Cool photos, Mark. I can see why you like these plants!


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## Linh (May 2, 2010)

Yay, neo species! 

I noticed the top white leaf on your Houmeiden is partially "closed". Does it do that a lot? I ask because many of mine with the very white variegation (Jitsugekkou, Akebono, Koen, Kansetsu and Houmeiden) seem to do that. I don't know if it's the light issue or what?? I know it must be my own culture because they did not do that when I first got them.


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## Lanmark (May 2, 2010)

Linh said:


> Yay, neo species!
> 
> I noticed the top white leaf on your Houmeiden is partially "closed". Does it do that a lot? I ask because many of mine with the very white variegation (Jitsugekkou, Akebono, Koen, Kansetsu and Houmeiden) seem to do that. I don't know if it's the light issue or what?? I know it must be my own culture because they did not do that when I first got them.



Good question! I don't know the answer :rollhappy: As far as I can remember, the leaves on my _'Houmeiden'_ (as on many of my Neos) come out partially closed and as they mature they open more fully. The only plant with which I have problems with the leaves staying mostly closed forever is _'Seikai'_. It baffles and frustrates me.


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## Lanmark (May 3, 2010)

It opened! The scent is intensely jasmine-sweet.  I don't seem to be able to capture any decent photographs in the past few days.  I'll try again tomorrow to get something better. But for now...


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## NYEric (May 3, 2010)

The curse of the camera! Those are wild, thanx for sharing.


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## smartie2000 (May 3, 2010)

that is prettier than I expected!
is it more fragrant than normal because of the extra spurs?


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## Lanmark (May 3, 2010)

NYEric said:


> The curse of the camera! Those are wild, thanx for sharing.


They really are wild! :drool: Cameras make me nuts.  Sometimes I manage to capture the most amazing photos, and at other times I am woefully incompetent behind the lens.



smartie2000 said:


> that is prettier than I expected!
> is it more fragrant than normal because of the extra spurs?



I think it's really beautiful! I am super pleased with this variety! I don't know if it's more fragrant than normal because of the extra spurs, but it certainly seems to me tonight to be fragrant in a way which is different from other Neos. I don't know if it's just my nose acting strangely or if these flowers really do smell different from other Neos. I don't have any others in bloom at the moment. I'll have to keep sampling the scent for a few more days until I figure it out.  I know I really like what I am smelling tonight! :clap: It's superb!


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## Linh (May 3, 2010)

Lovely, Mark! Good thing you don't have to worry about this one turning out to be single spurred on some years. You should use that for your avatar here.


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## Lanmark (May 4, 2010)

Linh said:


> Lovely, Mark! Good thing you don't have to worry about this one turning out to be single spurred on some years. You should use that for your avatar here.


Thanks Tracy!  Indeed this one will bloom consistently with three spurs. If I'm lucky I might even coax a second set of flowers later yet this year. 

In the light of the morning sun I managed to capture some photos which I think are at least somewhat better than the one I posted last night. Enjoy!


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## KyushuCalanthe (May 4, 2010)

Awesome! Without a doubt, a true Manjushage. Very cool :clap::drool::clap:


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## SlipperFan (May 4, 2010)

Amazing -- Before you introduced these to me, I might have thought it was a freak of nature...


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## paphioboy (May 5, 2010)

That looks... WEIRD..  Neo-fans, please don't bash me up..


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## Lanmark (May 6, 2010)

Hehehe it really is very cool, Tom!

Maybe it _is_ a freak of nature, Dot. I tend to like things which are a little bit crazy anyway. :wink:

Eh, paphioboy? How could anyone ever want to bash you up? :evil: You're just still a little uninitiated into the wondrously strange and fragrant world of Fukiran! We'll get you yet...just give it some time...


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## Lanmark (May 10, 2010)

I tried really hard, but I only managed to get one good shot on Sunday. It shows more of the back and sides of the flowers than anything else, but I still felt the photo was worth sharing. All three flowers are now open on the rare and delightful Neofinetia falcata var. _'Manjyushage'_ and it smells very nice too!


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## NYEric (May 10, 2010)

It would be really nice as a specimen! Thanx for sharing.


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## Lanmark (May 10, 2010)

NYEric said:


> It would be really nice as a specimen! Thanx for sharing.


 It will be awesome when it grows into a big clump! I can hardly wait! :clap:


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