Fifty Plants Identified...

1) “A handsome species” Acer palmatum

Acer word origin is not known for certain, but perhaps from Proto Indo European ak, to "be sharp," and probably should be pronounced "ah-ker."Palmatum is hand-like."

2) “A southeastern Asian species” Rhododendron rugosum

Rhododendronis Greek for "rose tree," originally referring to a plant of the Black Sea region (described by Pliny) whose "honey is toxic," probably R. ponticum. Rugose is from the Latin adjective rugosus meaning "wrinkled."Corrugateoriginally meant "to form or shape into wrinkles."

3) “Flowers like Spiraea” Sorbaria sorbifolia

Sorbariasorbifolia is called "Ural false Spiraea." The leaves bear similarity to the Sorbus genus ("Mountain ash") and both are in the Rosaceae family.

4) “Careful with the conkers!” Aesculus hippocastanum

Aesculusis Latin for a "variety of oak tree," and the name was our office-manager Eric Lucas's great grandfather's middle name. The common name of "Horse chestnut" is due to the alleged observation that the fruit could cure coughing horses. In Bavaria, Germany they were commonly planted in beer gardens because prior to mechanical refrigeration brewers would dig cellars under the chestnut's shade for lagering. In the center of Amsterdam is the Anne Frank tree which she mentions in her diary. It blew over in a heavy wind in 2010 but eleven seedlings were sprouted from her tree, one of which is planted at the 9/11 Memorial Park in New York City, and appropriately, two offspring were sited at Holocaust Centers. Despite its commonality today, Aesculus hippocastanum is native to a very small range in southeast Europe.

5) “Old World tree” Cedrus libani

Cedrus libani is native to the mountains of the eastern Mediterranean and is the national emblem of Lebanon. The Hebrew bible mentions the species, as Solomon used cedar timber to build the Temple of Jerusalem, and in Psalm 92:12 it says "The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like the cedar in Lebanon."

6) “Flowers develop on upper leaf surface” Helwingia chinensis

Helwingia is described as epiphyllous due to its flowers arising from the leaf's upper center. The genus name honors Georg Andreas Helwing (1666-1748), a botanist and Lutheran pastor. The good Reverend never saw the Asian Helwingia plant, but another German botanist, Carl Ludwig Willdenow (1765-1812), bestowed the name. Willdenow was the director of the Berlin Botanic Garden and a mentor to Alexander von Humboldt.

7) “Introduced by E.H. Wilson from China” Acer oliverianum

Acer oliverianum is native to central China and E.H. Wilson collected it in 1901. A subspecies, formosanum, is from central and north Taiwan, and one would suspect it to be less hardy...but I don't know -- maybe its hardiness is a factor of elevation. The Hillier Manual of Trees and Shrubs (2019) calls it a "handsome species," somewhat resembling Acer palmatum but "cleaner cut." I don't know what that means -- with less leaf serration? In any case it can be propagated from seed, by rooted cuttings under mist in summer, or by grafting onto Acer palmatum. We prefer the latter, especially for the vigorous, heat tolerant hybrid (of A. oliverianum crossed with A. palmatum) 'Hot Blonde'.

8) “Specific epithet now changed to rigidum” Rhododendron caeruleum

I have grown and enjoyed Rhododendron caeruleum in the Flora Wonder Arboretum for the past 20 years, and it is well-sited in the shade along-side Cold Springs Creek at the southern edge of the property. What an impressive beacon when in bloom, alighting the otherwise gloomy backdrop of the native foliage. Hillier won't list that species, instead referring us to the present nomen of R. rigidum. My God -- how did that happen?! I much prefer the previous name which is derived from Latin caelum for "sky" or "heaven."

9) “Commonly called 'crazy Beth' or 'horse blob'” Caltha palustris

Caltha palustris is commonly known as "horse blob," and indeed the neighbor's old gray mare is wading through their swampy (palustris) patch. These "Marsh Marigolds" receive their moisture from septic seepage, I think, from the welfare trailer-residence sitting above. The oldest genus account gives the name of Populago by Joseph Pitton de Tournefort, but apparently the fine print of the nomenclatural rulebook states that "As a plant name published before 1 May 1753, Populago Tourn. is invalid." The name Caltha is derived from Greek kalathos meaning "goblet" due to the shape of the flower; so a literal buttercup then.

10) “Flowers like a small Camellia” Schima argentea

Schima argentea is a member of the tea family (Theaceae) as is Camellia, and though the former's flowers are simple and attractive, they are nevertheless quite small. The main event for me is the rich orange-red new growth that eventually evolves to green, and the leaves' silvery undersides account for the specific epithet argentea. Another ornamental feature are the round seed capsules which present a narrow star pattern at the base when they ripen. We planted some seed this past February but so far nothing has germinated, but since the species is not particularly hardy we won't get around trying to propagate from rooted cuttings. My sole specimen will eventually outgrow its protective greenhouse location and I'll sell it to some California nursery that's partial to warm temperate-to subtropical Asian trees. I won't mind if it doesn't remain on the Flora Wonder Arboretum ark, from the point-of-view that myself and no other plant will last forever either; but the experience of enjoying it for the past dozen years has been one of the perks of my four-decade career.

11) “Commonly called 'China fir'” Cunninghamia lanceolata

Cunninghamia lanceolata is native to central and southern China, and also into Vietnam, nevertheless I discovered a healthy-looking specimen at Arrowhead Alpines in northern Michigan a number of years ago. Their tree was the cultivar 'Glauca', and as with some other conifer species (such as blue Douglas fir) the glaucous varieties have proven more hardy. Interestingly, the AA specimen was totally prostrate and it had a spread to about 15' in diameter. The generous owners kindly shared cuttings with me which rooted readily, but then my starts quickly developed vigorous apical shoots. It was as if the AA specimen knew to hunker down when living in a challenging clime, but then grew vertical with reckless abandon once it was in my protective Oregon greenhouse. The genus name honors James Cunningham, a Scottish surgeon botanically active in China and southeast Asia around 1698-1705. Eventually, though, he was harassed by the locals, and at one point poor Cunningham was paraded around like a criminal in a cangue.* Eventually released, he died on the voyage from Bengal to England in 1709. JC is perhaps best known as the earliest European to make botanical collections in China which arrived safely in England.

*A cangue, or tcha, was a device used for public humiliation and corporal punishment in Asia until the early years of the 20th century, and of course it replicated itself in Olde England as in the use of the "stocks." Yikes -- don't run afoul of the authorities!

12) “North American species” Cornus alternifolia

Cornus alternifolia: well, the leaves "alternate" along the stem, and it is commonly known as the "Pagoda tree," a large shrub or small tree that was previously classified as Swida alternifolia. No one grows it anywhere, ever -- the species itself, that is -- but some of the selected cultivars can be remarkably ornamental...what with the well-known cultivar 'Argentea' that has been in cultivation for over 100 years, the recently introduced (but -- damn! -- patented) 'Golden Shadows' and the Buchholz selections 'Saya' -- meaning "a field of flowers" in Japanese -- and another Buchholz selection 'Moonlight', photo above, that displays leaves with more rose coloring than the similar 'Argentea'.

13) “Drooping clusters of yellow flowers and bristly fruits” Acer macrophyllum

Acer macrophyllum was introduced by German-American botanist Friedrich Traugott Pursh who emigrated to the USA in 1799. According to The Hillier Manual of Trees and Shrubs (2019) Pursh "introduced" the "Big-Leaf" or "Oregon maple," but he never made it to western North America to see it in the wild, though he spent much of his American career analyzing the plants collected by The Lewis and Clark Expedition. Later, in 1826, the Scottish botanist-collector David Douglas made further introduction. A. macrophyllum develops dangling racemes of pale yellow flowers, and they are particularly effective combined with the rose leaf-color of Buchholz's introduction A.m. 'Mocha Rose'; however A. macrophyllum is of limited value ornamentally because the species can attain great size, and also it is hardy to only USDA zone 6 (-10 F). A few years ago I visited the largest (the Champion) of the species, and indeed it was the most massive in the Sapindaceae family in the world. Sadly it blew over in a wind storm along the road in Jewel, Oregon, and now its branches are disintegrating into the earth, but continuation shoots have sprouted from its trunk and it will try again.

14) “Species from Taiwan” Rhododendron morii

E.H. Wilson gained fame for his mainland China plant collecting, but after his numerous exploits there, he again returned to Asia (Taiwan and Japan) in 1917-1918 under his sponsorship of Harvard University's Arnold Arboretum. Amongst the multitude of his plant introductions, one of my favorite is Rhododendron morii from "Formosa", and I have a nice specimen planted in the aforementioned Cold Springs Creek drainage at the southern border of Buchholz Nursery. Per usual, the nomenclature can be muddled, especially for non-experts such as myself -- we plantsmen who prefer everything to be straight and simple -- but R. morii has also been classified as R. morii var. taitunense (T. Yamaz) and also R. pseudochrysanthum subsp. morii (Hyata). I don't know the classification details as I am only an aficionado of beautiful form and I appreciate the lance-shaped leaves. Furthermore, Hillier agrees with my photo above when he says: "The bell-shaped flowers are white with a ray of crimson spots."Award of Merit 1956 [for flowers].

15) “Chinese species with peeling bark” Prunus serrula

In hindsight, the photo above used for you to identify the genus and species is useless, so I include a closeup and you can see it is a cherry, Prunus serrula that Hillier describes as "A small, but vigorous tree whose main attraction is the glistening surface of its polished red-brown, mahogany-like new bark." From western China and Tibet, another species introduced by E.H. Wilson (1908). The specific epithet was coined by French botanist Adrian Rene Franchet due to the saw-tooth leaf margins.

16) “From Europe, known as 'mountain tobacco'” Arnica montana

17) “Genus is the sole representative of its family” Stachyurus salicifolia

18) “Native to China, widely planted in Japan” Styphnolobium japonicum

19) “Granny's bonnet” Aquilegia longiflora

20) “With bristly veins” Acer barbinervis

21) “Bloody” Cornus sanguineum

22) “Picture a 'painted' tree” Acer pictum

23) “In the Hamamelidaceae family” Corylopsis spicata

24) “Native to Mexico” Yucca rostrata

25) “Native to southeast USA” Magnolia macrophylla

26) “In the Styracaceae family” Rehderodendron macrocarpum

27) “Native American common name” Diospyros virginiana

28) “Related to Vitis” Parthenocissus tricuspidata

29) “In the Asparagaceae family” Beschorneria septentrionalis

30) “Very useful” Betula utilis

31) “Introduced by E.H. 'Chinese' Wilson” Abies koreana

32) “A 'false' specific epithet” Acer pseudoplatanus

33) “Specific epithet means 'hidden'” Acer tegmentosum

34) “A Spanish name” Abies pinsapo

Abiesis the botanic name of the "true firs." The word firis from Proto Germanic furkhon. Pinsapo is an old Spanish word meaning "pine fir," from pino (pine) and sapino (fir). Abies pinsapo is commonly called "Spanish pin fir" and is native to the mountains of southern Spain. On the southern side of Gibraltar is African Morocco, home to Abies pinsapo subsp. marocana.

35) “Like an alder” Quercus alnifolia

36) “Native to Oregon” Oxalis oregana

37) “A 'nut' pine” Pinus monophylla

38) “Specific epithet was a Linnaeus mistake” Scilla peruviana

39) “In the Araliaceae family” Schefflera fengii

40) “Previously known as Benthamidia” Cornus florida

41) “Native to Oregon” Quercus garryana

42) “Extremely fragrant flowers” Rhododendron edgeworthii

43) “Genus name honors Italian physicist” Matteuccia struthiopteris

44) “A hybrid between Japanese and Chinese species” Hamamelis intermedia

45) “Genus named for a German Jesuit missionary to the Philippines” Camellia japonica

In the tea family (Theaceae), the 120 or so species are found in east and southeast Asia, so its rather odd that Linnaeus chose to honor Georg Joseph Kamel (1661-1706) with the genus name. Kamel (or Camel) was a noteworthy pharmacist and naturalist in addition to his holy calling, and he produced an account of Philippine flora and fauna that was entirely new to Europe. Sadly Kamel died at the age of 45 from an unknown ailment, so he couldn't even cure himself. It is doubtful that he ever encountered a Camellia, but it's a nice generic name.

46) “Previously known as Swida” Cornus controversa

47) “Species named for French missionary” Nothopanax delavayi

48) “From central China” Acer longipes

49) “Eastern North American species” Cercis canadensis