The Cherry Blossoms Aren’t DC’s Only Interesting Trees

The National Cherry Blossom Festival kicks off this month, but those colorful petals are hardly DC’s only notable foliage. Here are some other interesting trees to check out.

Moon Trees

There are no trees on the moon (that we know of!), but here’s the next-best thing: ones grown from seedlings that were flown around the moon during a 2022 NASA mission. You can see an example on the Capitol grounds between First Street, Southwest, and Southwest Drive. Another is at the Kennedy Center across the street from the Opera House entrance. Both have a placard.

The Witness Tree

This white mulberry at the foot of the Washington Monument bore witness to historic events, including Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech and Vietnam War protests. Part of the tree fell during a 2019 storm, giving it a distinctively deformed look.

Douglass’s Magnolias

Two Southern magnolias outside Frederick Douglass’s Cedar Hill house are said to have been planted by the abolitionist himself as a gift for his first wife.

Yamaki Bonsai

A 400-year-old bonsai (pictured above) at the National Arboretum survived the Hiroshima bombing. Donated by its caretaker in 1976, it serves as a symbol of peace between Japan and the US.

This article appears in the March 2025 issue of Washingtonian.

Lydia Wei

Editorial Fellow