We need a vocabulary when discussing types of variegation that appear in seedlings of Clivia. According to Shigetaka Sasaki, the Japanese have recognized seven classes or types of leaf variegation.
These are:
FUKURIN
FUKURIN means a bordering of clothing or tools, so FUKURIN is marginal variegation. Having broad cream or yellow bands along both leaf margins
SHIMA-FU
SHIMA means stripe; SHIMA-FU is the most common type of variegation. Having many narrow, continuous, cream and green lines running from base to tip of leaf.
AKEBONO-FU
Having one broad, often diffuse cream band transversely across the middle of the leaf. AKEBONO means sunrise. This variegation is associated with the morning sky
of sunrise. AKEBONO-FU is named after the cultivar of Rohdea japonica "AKEBONO".
AKEBONO TORA-FU
NEGISHI-FU
NEGISHI-FU is named after a cultivar of Rohdea japonica, "NEGISHI-NO-MATSU". Very thin, string-like lines run length-wise through the leaves.
NAKA-FU
Having a band running along the mid-line from base to tip of leaf. NAKA means center, so NAKA-FU is a median stripe.
TORA-FU
"Tiger Variegation" having lines reminiscent of the brindled stripes of a tiger
GENPEI-FU
The name refers to 2 popular SAMURAI families at the end of 12th Century in Japan. They fought each other to gain supremacy in Japan, but their powers were evenly balanced against each other. So GENPEI means an evenly divided situation. So we call half white & half green leaves GENPEI-FU
where "Fu" means "variegation" in Japanese.
This material was adapted from material provided by Shigetaka Sasaki. A similar discussion was published in "Clivia 3" the yearbook of the Clivia Society (Cape Town, South Africa). My thanks to Masashi Yamaguchi for assisting with the English version.
