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Pseudopanax lessonii 'Bronze Warrior' - This tightly branched medium sized shrub has an upright habit to 5 feet tall by 4 feet wide. It has five-lobed glossy leaves with dentated margins and new foliage flushes spring through fall that are an intense bronze color and that age to deep green, giving the plant an attractive two-tone effect.
Plant in coastal full sun to light shade with regular to occasional irrigation. Should prove hardy to around 20 F.
'Bronze Warrior' is a selection of Pseudopanax lessonii, often called lancewood or Houmapara. Pseudopanax lessonii is found growing naturally in coastal scrub and forest throughout the North Island of New Zealand. The name for the genus comes from the combination of the Latin words 'pseudo' meaning "false" and 'panax', the early name for the ginseng plant and the specific epithet honors the French doctor, zoologist and botanist René Primevère Lesson (1794-1849) or his younger brother Pierre Adolphe Lesson (1805-1888) as both botanized and collected plants on voyages to New Zealand. This selection, made by Vince Naus of Taranaki, New Zealand, cames to us from the good folks at KiwiGold (later renamed Kiwi Flora) through Plant Haven in 2004 . We had it on trial at the nursery and while it was never offered for sale we still have a specimen in our garden and most of our crop was donated to for planting out at the San Francisco Zoo.
The information about Pseudopanax lessonii 'Bronze Warrior' displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant. |
