Neofinetia Benten

[Shoreguy]

N Benten is one of several Neofinetia which have similar leaf shape. Others of the type include N Himiko and N Benkeimaru.

Benten seems to have limited availability as does Himiko.

See Hakumin's exposition below for detailed historical perspective.

I have now determined the plant is Neof. Himiko, a related variety.

[bjmac]

That is a great neo, is it a bean leaf? The leaf shape is similar to my Seikai.

[Shoreguy]

Not a bean leaf. I'm sure if you saw it in person, you would know it is not.

It's my understanding, that the defining characteristic of a bean leaf is that the tip of the leaf should be rounded.

[Hakumin]

Just a minor correction: The weapon that Benkei used that the name Benkeimaru is based on is a Naginata. Strictly speaking not a sword, but a bladed pole weapon more akin to a halberd or spear.

The neos that have a similar shape and form to this are properly referred to as Benkeimaru-Type, or Benkei-Type.

The reason I point this out is that the "Benkei's Sword" description has caused many western neo growers to call this group of plants "Sword Leaf."

This is a problem because it causes quite a bit of confusion. A Korean vendor once asked me "What is this sword leaf that western growers keep asking about? They are using the term incorrectly."

剣葉, Kenba, which literally means "Sword Leaf" is the traditional name for a wholly different, and highly regarded characteristic, where the whole length of a neo leaf curves in the opposite direction from usual. The side view of this characteristic looks precisely like the shape of a Japanese sword, giving the characteristic it's name.

---------- Post added at 05:44 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:29 PM ----------

In any case, going back to the original topic:

An interesting bit of trivia is that many of the varieties of neos with this sort of leaf shape and growth structure are named after historical or mythological figures. It's certainly not a rule, but most of Benkei-type varieties do follow this pattern. Some of these include:

Benkeimaru - Named after Musashibo Benkei, a famous warrior monk (not a samurai) who lived in the 12th century.

Ushiwakamaru - Named after Minamoto no Yoshitsune whose childhood name was Ushiwakamaru. This person was actually a samurai, and is probably most famous for defeating Benkei. Also lived in the 12th century.

Musashi - Probably named after Miyamoto Musashi, a famous ronin samurai from the 17th century.

Himiko - An ancient shaman queen from the 2nd-3rd century CE.

Benten - Named after Benzaiten, who is often simply called Benten, a buddhist deiety derived from the hindu goddess Saraswati.

Bishamonten - Named after Bishamon, a buddhist deity derived from the hindu god Vaisravana.