What's in Bloom: September

A tall grass with bright yellow anthers dangling from grass spikelets.

wood grass

Sorghastrum nutans
Meadows, Natural Areas

Found throughout the Natural Area meadows, this tall native grass blooms from late summer to fall, displaying bright yellow anthers that gently dangle from each grass spikelet.

A close up of the small, round red fruit of a dogwood tree surrounded by bright green foliage.

kousa dogwood

Cornus kousa
Log Cabin

After its showy summer blooms, kousa dogwood’s red fruit become its fall seasonal interest. These soccer-ball-like fruits are considered drupes, like apricots and cherries, because they contain a stone in the center.

Small cream-colored flowers and bright yellow stamens surrounded by bright green foliage.

franklinia

Franklinia alatamaha
Azalea Meadow

A member of the tea family, Theaceae, this small tree blooms with cream-colored flowers and bright yellow stamens. John Bartram’s son collect seed of this species before it went extinct in the wild, and now this plant remains conserved at gardens and arboreta around the world.

Large panicles of small, bright yellow flowers with red centers.

Bourgainvillea golden-rain-tree

Koelreuteria bipinnata
Orange Balustrade/Parking Lot

This medium-sized tree boasts large panicles of small, bright yellow flowers with red centers. The species epithet refers to the bipinnately compound leaves, resulting in a feathery appearance.

Purple flowers that resemble a hood growing up a green stem.

monkshood

Aconitum sinomontanum
Widener Visitor Center

Native to China, this purple-flowering perennial brings color to shady garden areas. The form and arrangement of the petals resemble a hood, hence the common name.

Small yellow/orange fruit growing in clusters on brown stems and surrounded by green foliage.

Orangeberry tea viburnum

Viburnum setigerum ‘Aurantiacum’
Crabapple Slope

This species of viburnum typically displays showy red fruit in the fall, but this cultivar is selected for its yellow/orange fruit that persist through the season.