“Judge a Plant by Its Cover”:  Twigs and Bark
1)   Acer buergerianum (Trident Maple) – photo of trunk (to the right)

Move over Stewartia pseudocamellia, at least for the time being.
Exceptional mottled flakey, lighter gray-brown bark on this young Asian maple.
Makes a good street tree in Seattle, tolerant of a wide-range of stress factors.

2)   Acer caesium ssp. giraldii

Maple featuring young branches covered with a whitish bloom (DO NOT TOUCH)
Native to the Himalaya region of China (Shaanxi and Yunnan provinces)
Specimen located along Arboretum Drive in the Peonies

3)   Betula albo-sinensis var. 

A much sought after and once exceedingly rare garden plant, this evergreen fern from the mountains and valleys of Chile came to us from the Miller Garden courtesy of Elisabeth C. Miller herself.

Graduate student Lauren “Ivy” Clark has been knee deep in seeds ever since
she started her Master’s work at UW.

What do the pre-school kids do while attending the Fiddleheads Forest School at the Arboretum? UW student Mackenzie Urquhart reports on this exciting new education program.

Seize the Bay!
1)   Bay Laurel    (Laurus nobilis)

From the Mediterranean region
A plant of great cultural significance (culinary uses, literary references, etc.)
Marginally hardy in the Washington Park Arboretum, located in the Mediterranean Bed (grid 21-3E)

2)   California Bay Laurel    (Umbellularia californica)

Native to the Pacific Coast, Oregon through California
Crushed leaves have intense odor
Re-seeds freely in the Washington Park Arboretum
Located near the Mediterranean Bed (grid 20-3E)

3)   Redbay    (Persea borbonia)

A relative of the avocado, native to southeastern U.S. 

Abutilon ‘Tiger Eye’ warms up the Douglas Conservatory with shy, but exquisite flowers and leaves that resemble a maple.

GREENS GALORE!
1)   Abies alba  ‘Hybrid’   (Silver Fir)

Silver Fir is the species first used as a Christmas tree.
A resinous essential oil can be extracted.  The pine-scented oil has soothing qualities and is used in perfumes and bath products.
This magnificent specimen can be found on Arboretum Drive.

2)   Cornus sericea  ‘Cardinal’    (Red Osier Dogwood)

Bright red twigs provide winter interest in the garden and a beautiful accent to holiday decorations. 

On a sunny autumn day a team of UW students, UWBG staff and team leader Jim Lutz headed down the East Arboretum trail to the Meadow with a shiny, new total station.

1)   Callicarpa sp.      Beautyberry

When the late autumn landscape seems to offer little in the way of vibrant color, the upright shrub, Callicarpa shows us that it has some local Husky pride.  Grown mainly for their clusters of small, bead-like fruit, the Callicarpa species are ideal for a colorful shrub border.
Native primarily to China, Japan, and Korea, Callicarpa is a member of the plant family, Verbenaceae. 

On October 18, 2012, UW Botanic Gardens and the Arboretum Foundation celebrated their volunteers with an annual Volunteer Recognition event.