1)   Acer palmatum ‘Katsura’                                                             Japanese Maple

• Japanese maples have been cultivated in Japan for over 300 years. While they are most known for their stunning fall colors, I personally enjoy them as much in the spring for their new leaf color.
• ‘Katsura’ is a cultivar which appears to have bright orange new leaves, but on closer inspection, the leaves are bright yellow with a red margin.
• The Woodland Garden at the Washington Park Arboretum, which contains more than 70 cultivars of Japanese maples, is a wonderful place to explore the many colors of Acer palmatum.

2)   Adiantum aleuticum                                                                   Western Maidenhair Fern

• This western U.S. native fern loves a moist shaded area, often colonizing rock walls near streams in canyons.
• In the spring, the new fronds emerge on the ends of creepy, alien-appearing stipes.
• This and other Maidenhair ferns can be found around the Signature bed at the Graham Visitors Center at the Washington Park Arboretum.

3)   Athrotaxis laxifolia                                                                               Tasmanian Pencil Pine

• The Tasmanian pencil pine is a rare conifer in the Cupressaceae family and is endemic to Tasmania where it grows to 60 meters tall.
• This species is intermediate between two other Athrotaxis species and there is some suspicion that it may be a natural hybrid of the two.
• Cuttings will be donated to the UW Botanic Gardens to help preserve this endangered species.

4)   Kalmiopsis leachiana

• This fussy yet adorable shrublet is native to the Siskiyou Mountains along the Oregon/California border.
• These plants only reach one foot tall so you’ll need to look carefully for them near the high point of the Cascadia Garden.
• The NatureServe conservation status of this species is “vulnerable”.

5)   Magnolia ‘Galaxy’                                                                                     Galaxy Magnolia

• This cultivar is a hybrid between M. liliiflora ‘Nigra’ and M. sprengeri var. sprengeri ‘Diva’.
• Unlike many other garden magnolias, M. ‘Galaxy’ is a small-to-medium upright tree, growing 20 inches taller per year when young.
• Magnolia ‘Galaxy’ should be blooming now under the grove of Liriodendron tulipifera in our Magnolia Collection along Arboretum Drive.