when you feel
the bone structure
of the landscape
-Andrew Wyeth
Plant of the Month
Idesia polycarpa
(QBG# 1987.343)
Collected as wild-origin seed on November 4, 1987 by Charles Howick, William McNamara & Roger Warner, at 200 meters, from a steep-sided valley bottom south of Mt. Tanayama in Keminori Recreational Forest near Horai town, Aichi Prefecture, Honshu Island, Japan.
The Igiri tree, as it is known in Japan reaches 8-21 meters in height with deep green, coarsely serrated leaves. Yellowish-green flowers appear in April and May. Stunning berries follow in October and November, turning from purple-red to orange-red, 8-10 mm, adorning the female trees in clusters resembling loose bunches of grapes, drying to black with age.
The Igiri tree naturally occurs in deciduous broad-leaved and mixed forests at 400-3000 meters elevation in China, Japan and Korea, and is a popular ornamental.
Cultural requirements for this species include full sun to part shade exposure, with some shade from nearby trees beneficial, and regular water in moderately fertile, well-drained soil.
Quarryhill in Winter
Welcome to Quarryhill
Botanical Garden
a unique and beautiful Asian woodland in the Valley of the Moon, on the rolling hills above Glen Ellen, California.
Founded in 1987, Quarryhill is one of the pre-eminent Asian botanical gardens globally, featuring one of the largest collections of documented, wild-collected Asian plants in the world. Quarryhill's key programs include:
- Conservation of endangered Asian species
- Wild collection of threatened species seed and specimens
- Support of education through its local schools educational tour program
- Support of scientific research and studies at institutions worldwide
The garden welcomes visitors,
and is open for both self guided and docent-led tours year-round, as well as group and organization tours and events. Click Visitors for complete tour information, or call (707) 996-3166 for reservations.
An increasing variety of special events are held in the garden, including lectures, special tours, art events, musical programs and seasonal events. See the Events section for details of upcoming events.