Mystery Monday - Name That Tree!
Monday June 1, 2009
When I was first looking through pictures for last week's Mystery Shrub, I had the same initial thought as several of you - that this was the sweetshrub, Calycanthus floridus. However, as I discovered and a clue mentioned, this was really its Western sibling, Calycanthus occidentalis. Good job to Pam and Interleafer. In fact, as Interleafer informed me on Twitter, this one doesn't have quite the same sort of sweet smell. It was described as "wine barrel" smell.
Your Mystery Monday Tree clues:
- The genus of this tree was named in honor of a French missionary plant explorer.
- The common names refer to the appearance of the bracts (a type of modified leaf - here, the white parts). One refers to a bird, one to a Halloween staple, and the other is something you might carry in a pocket. (Bonus points for figuring out these three common names!)
- This Chinese native may take more than 10 years to flower.
Can you name the Mystery Monday Tree?
- Sign up today for the Tree and Shrub Newsletter and RSS Feed
- Talk about everything to do with Trees and Shrubs in the Forum
Photo by Jura Wanderer via Flickr
Not trying to monopolize your Mystery Monday posts but I LOVE Davidia involucrata! You should see the one here in the Arboretum. STUNNING!!
Common names:
Dove Tree
Ghost Tree
Handkerchief Tree
It really is stunning to see these waving in the breeze. If we had room for more trees… this one would be on our list for sure. For now, we’ll go visit the ones in the arboretum.