Beautiful and rare mass bloom of threatened Chinese Tree to Begin Next Week at Sonoma Botanical Garden

For just a few weeks, visitors to Sonoma Botanical Garden will have an opportunity to witness an extraordinary and rare mass bloom of one of its most unusual botanical treasures. Likely beginning next week and lasting approximately three weeks, one of the Garden’s most impressive Emmenopterys henryi trees—an exceptionally rare species native to China—is expected to burst into bloom. While a few flowers may appear in some years, abundant blooming is uncommon. The last significant display at the Garden occurred in July 2022.

Often described as one of the world’s most beautiful flowering trees, Emmenopterys henryi is prized for its elegant clusters of creamy white blossoms, distinctive enlarged white sepals that flutter like butterflies, and a sweet jasmine-like fragrance. Rare in cultivation and considered near-threatened in the wild, it is the only species in its genus and is regarded as a “Tertiary Relic”—a living remnant of ancient forests that once stretched across the Northern Hemisphere.

The tree is located near the Garden’s central crossroads and is especially accessible. Blooms extend from its lower branches to more than 30 feet overhead, offering visitors an exceptional viewing experience.

The Garden’s five Emmenopterys specimens have long attracted interest among horticulturists. Seed for these trees was collected during a 1996 expedition to eastern Sichuan, China, in partnership with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and the Howick Arboretum. When two of the trees first flowered in 2004 at just six years of age, they were believed to be among the youngest Emmenopterys ever to bloom in cultivation and among the first to flower in western North America.

“This is one of those plants that captivates both botanists and casual visitors alike,” said Michael Wenzel, Curator at Sonoma Botanical Garden. “It’s not just rare—it’s elegant, fragrant, and unlike almost any other temperate tree in the world.”

What: Rare blooming of Emmenopterys henryi
When: Bloom expected to begin within the next week and continue for approximately three weeks (weather dependent)
Where: Sonoma Botanical Garden, 12841 Sonoma Highway, Glen Ellen, CA