Spotty Dotty (Podophyllum Versipelle)

I’m dotty about my Spotty Dotty! Not sure if it’s the spots that remind me of the incessant taunting regarding my freckles I had during my school years when the sun came out, & I liken that to why Spotty Dotty prefers the shade or if it resonates with me because I first heard Adam Frost talk about his love for them on TV & like me Adam is a Fibromyalgia Warrior who finds peace in the garden…or if it simply is my love for the intricate patterns & blotches of brown towards the centre moving towards bronze at the outer of the large umbrella shaped leaves which have pointed lobes held upright by a central stem. The umbrellas can vary in shape from hexagonal to almost starburst with age as the points become more prominent.

The Spotty Dotty is a rhizomatous perennial, which has been on my wish for a while, & I only bought it at the beginning of May this year to go in a tropical area I am developing. It’s classed as semi-evergreen so with the climate changes & dependent on the protection it has where it is planted, I’ll be interested to see who how long the foliage lasts. I’m not sure if I’ll be lucky enough for it flower & fruit this first year as I think it needs to mature. The flowers are red, bell shaped & under the leaves. I wouldn’t be crouching down to smell one though if you’re sensitive to smells, all I’m saying is they’re pollinated by flies so think of a Voodoo Lily or if you’ve had a bad experience with a cordyline flower lol. (I really thought about whether to type the words carrion or decaying flesh or not on such a hot day.) If pollinated, they may be followed by red or yellow fruit which is why Spotty Dotty is sometimes referred to as a Mayapple. However, as a word of caution, do not eat it, it’s harmful if ingested! It’s toxic to dogs & cats, but not to birds. My tropical area is mainly potted on gravel & my dogs aren’t allowed on the gravelled area.

This Spotty Dotty is taking its shade from a Tetrapanax Papyrifer Empress, it seems to be a happy underplant combination as they both like moist but well drained soil, but the Rex can cope with more light. I bought them both from Sunk Island Garden Centre they are based in East Yorkshire but are online too @sunkislandexotics

Spotty Dotty is a special addition to my garden that probably most would not notice… but it sits faithfully beside my chair as I write this blog in the shade. That’s it you see, isn’t it? Gardening serves on so many levels, everybody is important, so show kindness out there, gardening is such a leveller of people. Hope you all are having a lovely day.

@just.me.in.my.garden