At first glance, Decaisnea insignis isn’t a particularly striking shrub; growing between 10-15 feet high, its pinnately compound leaves arch away from the thick, central branches of the plant. It flowers in June, with long strings of dangling greenish flowers that can be hard to notice, blending with the yellows and greens of the rest of the plant.
What does make you look twice at this plant, though, are the fruits that ripen in the fall between September and early November: thick, blueish bean-like pods dangle where the flowers were, giving this plant its common names: Dead Man’s Fingers, or Blue Bean Tree. 

One of the many gems in our oak collection is Quercus graciliformis, Slender Oak or Chisos Oak, which is endemic to a very limited area in the Chisos Mountains in western Texas. Read on to learn about how the Washington Park Arboretum participates in tree conservation and research, particularly in the case of oaks, maples, magnolias, and hollies.

This month we head over to the Center for Urban Horticulture (CUH) to meet horticulturist Kristen Johnson!

Ilex vomitoria may not be much to look at, but dig just a little deeper to learn its interesting story!

The UW Farm highlights the humble strawberry this month! Managed organically, the campus farm will add a sweet, culturally significant sustainable crop to its curriculum and production.

Skunk cabbage is a sure harbinger of spring in the maritime Northwest.  Among the earliest native species to flower, its bright color, large size and local abundance are easy to spot and promise warmer days ahead after the long dark of winter.

Meet Kevin Rusch, a horticulturalist at the University of Washington Botanic Gardens and part of the team of folks who care for the collections at the Arboretum!

If you visit the grove of Sycopsis at the Pacific Connections Garden along Arboretum Drive this February you will be in for a treat – the flowers, while not showstoppers individually, are blooming in incredible quantity this winter.

Scientific name: Fagus sylvatica
Common Name: Common beech, European beech
Family: Fagaceae (Oak family)
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Locations in the Washington Park Arboretum: Oak Collection area, directly east from the Graham Visitor Center
Fagus sylvatica, 3 specimens 595-44-A &B & 907-50-A: grids 42-1E, 43-1E
F.sylvatica ‘Aspleniifolia’ 1142-49-A: grid 41-1E
F.sylvatica ‘Dawyck’ 490-57-A: grid 40-1E
F.sylvatica ‘Riversii’ 682-67-A: grid 44-B
F.sylvatica ‘Rohanii’ 382-50-A: grid 42-1E
F.sylvatica ‘Spaethiana’ 654-54-A: grid 42-1E
F.sylvatica f. 

Scientific name: Cornus mas 
Common name: Cornelian cherry, European cornel, Cornelian cherry dogwood
Family: Cornaceae (Dogwoods)
Native range: Southern and central Europe to western Asia
Location: At the Center for Urban Horticulture, there is a grove located in the northern lawn area along the central drive and the trees’ accession numbers are 87-90. At the Arboretum, there are three specimens under the accession number of 704-38 (grid 33-B) from the original planting of the Woodland Garden in 1938.