FEATURES/ORIGINFeatures/Origin

A hybrid with a compact look—much like the alternative name for Himeoboro-zuki—giving off the vibe of a miniaturized Oboro-zuki. It’s similar to Graptoveria 'Titubans' G. 'Titubans' , but while that one has small, tightly formed rosettes reminiscent of 'Shizuka Night', this one stands out with its flatter leaves and slightly angular edges—making it feel even more like the classic Oboro-zuki.

Since it’s such an old cultivar, a lot of different names have spread around, a bit like a game of telephone, and sometimes you’ll even find clearly incorrect labels like simply calling it "paraguayense." Names like 'Gindama-ren' and 'Gin-ōren' also appear to be mixed up from 'Gin-kōren' through this game of pass-it-on.

The details of its origins are well documented in the ICN: it was first created by Pierre Gossot in 1935, making it a cultivar with a long history. However, in 1964, the well-known J.C. van Keppel introduced it as a hybrid between Oboro-zuki and elegans, but since that was probably a different plant or just speculation, we can’t really include that in the official parentage for G. 'Caerulescens' . That offshoot was later renamed Fantome.

But honestly, since we’re talking about something that happened almost 90 years ago, it’s hard to say which "Usu-gori" we have in hand today (it’s said to have arrived in Japan in 1969, so most likely it’s the Fantome type). The two look so much alike that you do wonder if we really need more names for them—personally, I totally get where those opinions come from!