Tree of the month: Lindera praetermissa

Lindera praetermissa

This early flowerer from eastern Asia is our pick for Tree of the Month.

March is the best time to spot the profusion of aromatic, pale-yellow flowers that emerge on this small tree. Delicate flower clusters, bursting from leafless stems, are followed by bronze leaves, covered with golden hairs. Later in the year, the tops of the leaves mature to a smooth green while the undersides retain hairs along the veins. Bright red fruits develop towards August, followed by buttery yellow autumn leaf colour.

Introduced by Scottish plant explorer George Forrest, this relative of the bay tree (Laurus nobilis) is uncommon in cultivation but is an early spring favourite at Westonbirt. The specific epithet praetermissa, means ‘overlooked’ in Latin - but not here! The generic name Lindera, celebrates Johann Linder (1676-1723), a renowned Swedish botanist and physician.

Where can I find it?

We have several notable specimens growing in the Old Arboretum, including near Main Drive, and along Circular Drive. Look out for small black plastic bags dotted along their branches, which are used for ‘air layering’ - a method used by our propagation team to grow new trees from the stems of our existing plants.

If you want to see Lindera praetermissa in the wild, you will have to travel to the forests of China, India, Bhutan, Tibet and Myanmar.

Locate these specimens at Westonbirt on the Arboretum Explorer map.

Check out our other tree of the month blogs here...