We admire the stripes of tigers, zebras, and exotic reptiles as marvels of natural pattern. The plant world has its fair share of stunning striation, too, perhaps no more astounding than in the snakebark maples (including the Japanese red snakebark maple, Acer capillipes, pictured here).
The Arboretum has an extraordinary collection of snakebark species (Acer, subsection Micrantha), heavily concentrated in the Dan Hinkley Asian Maple Collection. Many were, in fact, wild-collected by plant explorer Dan Hinkley in Japan, China, and Korea.
In the latest issue of the Arboretum Bulletin, garden writer and designer Phil Wood profiles some of the most sss…spectacular species and tells you where to find them. He also asks Dan about his favorite snakebark maples.
