Fall Foliage Pull-Out Guide by Curtis Adams , Curatorial Associate
Fall Foliage Pull-Out Guide by Curtis Adams , Curatorial Associate
As fall is getting underway here are some of the plants that should not be missed . Some of these you can ’ t miss , others you will need to look at more closely to appreciate .
We hope you schedule a special visit this fall to bask in the glorious colors of our landscape . Cut out this page and use it as a reference when you visit , and to further your Mount Auburn fall foliage experience , purchase a Tree Map and Fall Foliage Brochure at our Visitors Center !
There are over 400 sugar maples , Acer saccharum , on the grounds of Mount Auburn Cemetery . These are the quintessential fall foliage trees in New England , their color developing throughout the season from green into shades of orange and red .
Two deciduous trees that show off their bark in the fall and winter are the Japanese stewartia , Stewartia pseudocamellia ( shown ), and the paperbark maple , Acer griseum . One of the finest stewartias can be found in the Dell area along Iris Path . There are a number of paperbark maples on the grounds . The one at Story Road and Redbud Path is a particularly large specimen .
The katsura tree , Cercidiphyllum japonicum , has beautiful gold and green fall foliage , but the real fall highlight is the cotton candy scent produced by this tree . It can be subtle , but once you detect it , it ’ s hard to forget . There is an excellent example of this tree along the southwest bank of Auburn Lake and several more along Lime Ave .
The dawn redwood , Metasequoia glyptostroboides , is a deciduous conifer from China . Its needles turn golden yellow before dropping off from late October into December . There are a number of these trees scattered around the grounds , but those along the northern bank of Auburn Lake and around Willow Pond are particularly striking when reflected in the water .
Korean mountain ash , Sorbus alnifolia , has bright red berries at the beginning of fall and then , halfway through the season , the foliage turns an intense orangey-yellow almost overnight . One example of this tree can be found on the east side of Willow Court Crypts .
Fothergilla , Fothergilla gardenii and F . major , has intense orange fall foliage , with some leaves turning deeper shades of red and purple . These plants are scattered around the Cemetery grounds ; there are a number of these to be found in Asa Gray Garden and along the east side of Central Ave , near Indian Ridge Path .
Another tree that features intense reds and oranges is the sourwood , Oxydendrum arboreum . Here the feathery clusters of cream-colored flowers first turn a golden brown and then the leaves begin changing , first to orange and finally ending up as a deep plum-red . An excellent example of this tree can be found behind the Shaw memorial near Bigelow Chapel .
The latest blooming shrub at Mount Auburn is the common witchhazel , Hamamelis virginiana , whose yellow , spidery flowers are opening while its leaves are beginning to fall in late October to mid-November . These flowers have the faint scent of witch hazel extract , which is distilled from its bark and twigs . This plant can be found along the hill between Oak and Rosebay Avenues at the south end of Auburn Lake .
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Beautyberry , Callicarpa dichotoma , has clusters of shiny purple berries that really stand out after the leaves drop in mid- November . One easily accessible shrub is on the slope to the east of Halcyon Ave .
Sassafras , Sassafras albidum , is a mediumsized tree native to eastern North America . Its roots and root bark have been used in perfumes and to flavor root beer . The tree grows mostly upright with leaves in cloudlike layers . In mid-fall the foliage takes on a range of rich shades from yellow to mauve . Two mature specimens can be found at the south end of Auburn lake , near Larch Ave .
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