If you’ve noticed our parking lot plant of the Asian native small tree, Sinowilsonia henryi, during a visit to JLBG, we have just discovered that it’s an imposter. Named to commemorate two famous plant explorers, Ernest Wilson (1876-1930) and Augustine Henry (1857-1930), Sinowilsoniana is one of two, odd, monotypic tree genera in the Witch Hazel (Hamelidaceae) family.
Our former taxonomist, Zac Hill tipped us off last week to check our plants, after he was alerted by Camellia Forest Nursery proprietor, David Parks, that plants in the US seem to be mostly mis-identified. Our plant, originally sourced from a US west coast nursery, indeed turned out to be Fortunearia sinensis, named for yet another plant explorer, Robert Fortune (1812-1880). Since we had never knowingly grown Fortunearia, and it is purportedly the more ornamental of the two genera, we’re not complaining. Perhaps, if grow a plant in your garden under the name of Sinowilsonia, you should, with the assistance of your local ICE branch, check its green card status, for indications of fraud.
All of the photos below were taken this week, as it begins to go winter dormant.
