A Rare Flowering of Emmenopterys henryi

Emmenopterys henryi from the Cambridge Library Collection Blog

One of the many plants introduced by the plant hunter Ernest Wilson (who recently featured in this post) was the snappily-named Emmenopterys henryi. The species is named for Augustine Henry who discovered but did not introduce the tree.  Henry, an Irishman who was employed by The Imperial Chinese Customs Service as an Assistant Medical Officer was sent to Yunnan to study medicinal plants, where he also made a huger herbarium collection which is now at RBG, Kew.

Ernest Wilson

Arriving in Britain in 1907 at a time when Wilson was in the employ of the Veitch nursery, the tree which Wilson described as ‘one of the most strikingly beautiful...of the Chinese forests’ does not flower often. In fact, the specimen currently in bloom in the Cambridge University Botanic Garden is only the fifth to have flowered in Britain.  So if you are in the vicinity, take the once-in-a-generation opportunity to see a rare beauty.