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Current Plant Highlights

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August

Cyrilla racemiflora

Clerodendrum trichotomum

Elliottia racemosa

Rhamnus frangula 'Asplenifolia'

Styphnolobium japonicum

Native to the southeastern United States, the swamp cyrilla (Cyrilla racemiflora) is one of the more unusual shrubs at the Arnold Arboretum. The flower racemes, which reach up to 6 inches long and resemble bottlebrushes, emerge in whorls below the current season's growth. These fragrant white spikes begin to open in midsummer and continue through late summer. Its habit is open and spreading, and the lustrous leaves develop wonderful red and orange hues in the autumn. A specimen of size is located along Chinese Path.

Clerodendrum trichotomum is appreciated for its displays of white blossoms, which rapidly develop into blue fruits. Each flower (and later fruit) is surrounded by a red calyx, and it is these color combinations (white or blue with red) that are alluded to in the common name, harlequin glorybower (a harlequin being a clown). While the flowers are pleasingly fragrant, bruised leaves can emit a nasty odor. Plants may colonize quickly and become a nuisance, so it is best to keep them in bounds, as are the two plantings near the Arboretum's main gate.

The Georgia plume, Elliottia racemosa, is rarely seen since it is scarce in the wild and very difficult to propagate. The shrub (or sometimes small tree) produces beautiful panicles of white flowers, and its glossy leaves sometimes develop red hues in the autumn. A maturing specimen can be found on the east side of Meadow Road as you approach the maple collection from the north.

Rosa Carefree Beauty^TM is one of many roses developed by the late Griffith Buck of Iowa State University. It is widely appreciated for its disease resistance and superior floral displays. It bears fragrant, semi-double, coral-pink flowers in abundance from June until heavy frost. Bright orange-red rose hips follow the flowers. A wonderful planting of this rose can be found along Meadow Road, just as it bends around Rehder Pond.

Fernleaf buckthorn, Rhamnus frangula 'Asplenifolia', a finely textured variant of the alder buckthorn, is cultivated for its threadlike, olive-green leaves. The leaf blades are significantly narrowed, extending less than a quarter of an inch to either side of the midrib. This cultivar is slower growing than the species, in time reaching a height and spread of about 6 feet. It can be found growing along Valley Road, across from the rock outcrop.

Japanese pagoda or Chinese scholar tree, Styphnolobium japonicum (formerly Sophora japonica), is one of the most magnificent summer-blooming trees at the Arboretum. Pendulous clusters of creamy-white flowers blanket the canopy, with fallen petals carpeting the ground beneath. As summer progresses, the flowers develop into interestingly shaped fruits (loments) that resemble green pearls on a string. The majestic specimen located along Bussey Hill Road, across from the lilacs, is one of the most impressive examples of its kind anywhere.