[trees]

Okay... here's a real stumper.

I've only seen 3 of these in my life. The genus and species are VERY well known (if not over-used), but... well... that's enough hints for now.

This particular plant doesn't get any considerable fall color (at least not in our zone 7b/8a environment), but the blooms (I know, not technically blooms), oh those blooms!

Partial credit for correct genus & species, extra special plant geek points for the rest.

PM me with your guesses (okay, another hint... you won't find it in Dirr). I'll post the answer early next week.

[IMG]POTW 59[/IMG]

[trees]

AHHHH!!!

First time posting pics... let's try this again.

[trees]

Just a handful of extras on POTW 59.

It is a small, ornamental tree (to 20'), with simple, alternate foliage. Prefers well drained soils in partial shade. Bloom time is early April here in Memphis. The reflexed sepals really make POTW 59 distinctive.

This tree is native to the Americas, but is relatively "undocumented".

NCSULandscaper is the first official super plant geek!

[dan deutekom]

PM Sent

[phototropic1]

oops

[sleepy]

Im stumped! Looks like it should grow in ohio due to the flower shape! I wonder if its ever been grown on the west coast, what is it 3000 miles away? California is about 1000 miles long!:P

[VoodooChile]

trees,
I just want to confirm, "alternate foliage"?

[VoodooChile]

trees,
I just want to confirm your description that POTW59 has "alternate foliage"?

[4seasons]

pm sent

[trees]

Holy brain farts, Voodoo!!!!

Good catch.

OPPOSITE FOLIAGE, not ALTERNATE!!!

Whew! Glad someone out there is paying attention

[VoodooChile]

pm sent

[Fine Edge]

Did you glue those petals together?

[jwholden]

PM sent, gotta start somewhere!

[trees]

Plant of the Week 59 is Mexican Flowering Dogwood Cornus florida var. pringlei (syn. Cornus benthamidia urbaniana)

I'm not sure how cold hardy the plant is, but it is a stunner to be sure. The reflexed sepals really make this dogwood stand out (no, they're not glued together ). It is incredibly rare in the trade.

As a rule, I'm not a big fan of C. florida and rarely use it in the landscape. In this part of the country, poor drainage, powdery mildew and dogwood borer are omnipresent on Flowering Dogwood and inevitably do them in (we see Anthracanose only in the spring -- summer heat kills it off, so it's not such a big problem here like in cooler climes). The hybrids and Kousas are much tougher plants and provide a lot less in the way of headaches.

This was a real tough plant to call. Official Plant Geeks this week are: NCSULandscaper, VoodooChile, and dan deutekom (special thanks to dan for providing the alternate botanical name above). Partial credit goes to: jwholden & phototropic1.