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Plant Names and Provenance: Dawn-redwood Metasequoia glyptostroboides  (dawn-redwood) is a deciduous conifer from Central China that is often referred to as a “living fossil,” and the Morris Arboretum currently cultivates forty-eight of these majestic trees. Image 1948-045-A.  Metasequoia glyptostroboides . This tree was grown from the original set of seeds sent from China to the Arnold Arboretum in 1948 and then shared with many institutions, including the Morris Arboretum. Metasequoia glyptostroboides  (dawn-redwood) is a deciduous conifer from Central China that is often referred to as a “living fossil,” and the Morris Arboretum currently cultivates forty-eight of these majestic trees. The common name, dawn-redwood, was coined to evoke the concept that this tree is as ancient as the dawn of time. In 1941, a Japanese paleobotanist, Shigeru Miki, described a fossil-based plant genus that he named  Metasequoia , meaning “akin to  Sequoia .” [ Sequoia sempervirens  (California redwood) is the only living species of  Sequoia .] Fossil evidence indicated that  Metasequoia  spp. were once abundant in both North America and Asia, seemingly becoming extinct about two to five million years ago. What a surprise, then, when a live tree was discovered in Central China and formally published as  Metasequoia glyptostroboides  in 1948 by Chinese scientists Hu and Cheng. The specific epithet  glyptostroboides , meaning “resembling  Glyptostrobus ,” was chosen because the live tree was initially misidentified as  Glyptostrobus pensilis  (Chinese swamp cypress). In 1947, the Arnold Arboretum sent $250 to Cheng in support of seed collection. This was the primary funding source for C.T. Hwa, a graduate student of Cheng’s who made the arduous journey to collect several pounds of seeds—not only from the original and single  M. glyptostroboides , but also from a nearby seed stand that he discovered. The five dawn-redwoods in the Morris Arboretum with accession numbers starting with …

What's in Bloom: October Fall is finally upon us at the ArBOOretum! Complementing the creative and colorful scarecrows along the garden paths are spectacular hues from the plants in our collection. From bright purple berries and vibrant pink flowers to fiery fall color, there is lots to see and explore. Fall is finally upon us at the ArBOOretum! Complementing the creative and colorful scarecrows along the garden paths are spectacular hues from the plants in our collection. From bright purple berries and vibrant pink flowers to fiery fall color, there is lots to see and explore. Image Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis Located along the stream and by the Keyhole Fountain, this stunning bloom makes a fantastic addition to the gardens, with showy clusters of red blooms still blooming so late into the season. Arranged along an upright raceme, the small flowers are distinct with two upper and three lower petals. Because the flowers are tubular, cardinal flower is often pollinated by hummingbirds who can reach the nectar with their long bills. Image American beautyberry Callicarpa americana Tucked off the main path within our native azalea collection, across from the Keyhole Fountain are several of these shrubs now flaunting their fabulous purple fruit. Native to the southern United States, American beautyberry produces small, inconspicuous pink and white flowers in the spring that later develop into showy fruit in the fall and can hang on to the plant even during the winter. Clustered at each leaf axil, these fruits are an important food source for many birds—even we can eat them, though they don’t have a very strong flavor. Image Common winterberry Ilex verticillata Located all around the Arboretum, these native shrubs and their cultivated varieties are covered in bright red fruit, adding pockets of color throughout the gardens. Native to eastern North America, these shrubs are often found along swampy, wet areas near streams or ponds. In our gardens, you’ll find both …

A Day in the Life of a Plant Science Fellow My day started with an accidental decapitation. Blades whirred above me, and time seemed to slow. Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! The plant I was holding recoiled with each impact. A streak of light green fell to the floor. Emily Humphreys is the the Eli Kirk Price Plant Science Fellow 9:50 AM My day started with an accidental decapitation. Blades whirred above me, and time seemed to slow. Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! The plant I was holding recoiled with each impact. A streak of light green fell to the floor. In hindsight, I really should have seen it coming. The plant I am studying, Virginia Mallow (Ripariosida hermaphrodita) can grow up to sixteen feet tall in a single season. Combine this with a green house full of ceiling fans and you have a recipe for disaster. I took a moment to collect myself, then inspected the damage. Half a leaf and a cluster of wilted flowers lay curled on the floor. I breathed a sigh of relief. Being so late in the season, the plant has only a handful of buds left to bloom. Those are what I am interested in. Wilted flowers we can stand to lose. Tonight, I am going to bring the Virginia Mallow home and then, tomorrow, I will begin recording observations of the plant's floral development. Each day I will monitor things like whether the flower is releasing pollen and if the female reproductive organs are visible. Then, when I look across my notes from the month, I will have a good understanding of the timing of floral events in this particular plant. Image Virginia Mallow (Ripariosida hermaphrodita). This is one of my research flowers! Credit: Emily Humphreys 10:05 AM I just realized I never introduced myself. My name is Emily, and I am the 2022-2023 Eli Kirk Price Plant Science Fellow at the Morris Arboretum. This means I get to spend my days trying to answer fascinating questions about plants. Right now, I am investigating floral development, but past fellows have investigated everything from which …

What's in Bloom: September Welcome to the September issue of the What’s in Bloom blog at the Morris Arboretum! Recent heavy rain storms have been a welcomed end to this summer’s drought, and although the peak flowering season has passed, there are still lots of beautiful blooms to appreciate in our gardens. Welcome to the September issue of the What’s in Bloom blog at the Morris Arboretum! Recent heavy rain storms have been a welcomed end to this summer’s drought, and although the peak flowering season has passed, there are still lots of beautiful blooms to appreciate in our gardens. A number of the plants highlighted this month are located in the Arboretum’s natural areas, meadows, and wetlands, teeming with life and color as we ease out of summer and into fall. From large white hibiscus flowers to the tiny flowers of a single grass spikelet, there is still so much to enjoy and look forward to this coming season. Image Goldenrod Solidago canadensis Solidago gigantea The meadows at the Arboretum are bearing a bright, warm yellow hue as native goldenrod blooms. Small flower clusters arranged in a pyramidal shape crown these six-foot-tall stalks. A member of the Aster family, goldenrod blooms consist of many tiny flowers—what appears to be one flower emerging out of a bud are actually a number of small florets.  S. canadensis  and  S. gigantea  are two of the goldenrod species currently in bloom. Try to find both of these in the meadows:  S. canadensis  has hairy leaves and stem, while  S. gigantea  is smooth. Image New York ironweed Vernonia noveboracensis Among the goldenrod in the meadows is this other beautiful native wildflower, its wide-spreading larger purple flowers complementing the tiny upright yellow blooms of the goldenrods. Another member of the Aster family, ironweed has similar flower structure to goldenrod, with each purple bloom consisting of many small florets. Image Wood grass Sorghastrum nutans A more inconspicuous bloom hidden in the bold colors …

Plant Name Blooper: Impatiens capensis (jewelweed) Impatiens capensis  (jewelweed) is a common native wildflower with a genus name that invites us to wonder about the nature of its impatience. Image Impatiens capensis  (jewelweed) growing at the Morris Arboretum in the moist semi-shade. Note both the orange flowers and the green seed pods. Impatiens capensis  (jewelweed) is a common native wildflower with a genus name that invites us to wonder about the nature of its impatience.  Impatiens , a genus with over 1000 species, is so-called because its members are impatient to disperse their seeds. While other plants may trust the wind or animals to scatter their seeds, the fruit capsules of  Impatiens  spp. dramatically explode along their seams at the slightest touch, propelling the seeds up to six feet away from the mother plant; as if that were not enough of an evolutionary dispersal advantage, the seeds are buoyant, allowing them to travel even longer distances by water. While the genus name  I mpatiens  was an apt choice (made by the father of taxonomy himself, Linnaeus), the epithet  capensis  is a misnomer.  Capensis  means from the cape, in this case referring to the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa: the Dutch botanist Nicolaas Meerburgh mistakenly thought the species originated there when he bestowed the name in 1775. After the discovery that  I mpatiens   capensis  was instead native to most of Canada and forty-one states, the epithet could not be fixed because the rules of botanical nomenclature do not allow a name change for such a reason as geographical error. There are several popular explanations for the common name jewelweed: the bright spotted orange flowers are said to be as pretty as ladiesʻ earrings; rain, dew, and guttation droplets on the leaves sparkle like gems in the sun; and submerged leaves have a silvery sheen due to microscopic hairs. Image Impatiens capensis  (jewelweed) at the Morris Arboretum. Note the variation in nectar spurs, the one …

Morris Arboretum's Natural Areas Section Leader Ryan's experience is in ecological horticulture and has been working in public gardens and arboreta for over six years. Image Welcome Ryan Drake, the Morris Arboretum's new Natural Areas Section Leader! Ryan's experience is in ecological horticulture and has been working in public gardens and arboreta for over six years. He is passionate about designing, managing, and educating communities around ecological horticulture and landscapes. He has designed and led capital expansion projects at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden and has gardened at Allen Centennial Garden of the University of Wisconsin – Madison and the University of Wisconsin – Madison Arboretum. He has also conducted invasive plant management at James Cook University in Queensland, Australia. He is involved and interested in pollination ecology and has worked to support native bees and beekeeping in Iowa legislature, working groups, citizen science, and education. Ryan’s favorite place in the Morris Arboretum is the Wetlands where you can find him among the native plants and bees.  Blog Image August 17, …