Celebrate the Year of the Horse in BBG’s Steinhardt Conservatory! Explore the pavilions to find plants associated with Lunar New Year, including citrus, bamboo, pine, and much more.

Can you find these plants of the Lunar New Year?

Nymphaea × daubenyana (Daubeny’s Water-Lily)

White flower with yellow centers and purple-tipped stamens bloom with an out-of-focus dark leafy green background.
Photo by Blanca Begert.

View Location of Daubeny’s Water-Lily

Emerging from muddy waters, water-lilies are clean and unsullied, making them a symbol of purity and enlightenment. Daubeny’s water-lily was the first widely recognized hybrid water-lily.

Find Daubeny’s Water-Lily in the Aquatic House.

Round terracotta pots with water-lilies in them sit on the ground of a greenhouse.
Photo by Jeremy Weine.

× Vandachostylis Crownfox Red Gem grex (Hybrid Orchid)

Show larger version of Hybrid Orchid A red orchid with many small blossoms.
Photo by Michael Stewart.

View Location of Hybrid Orchid

Representing academic success and upright morals, the orchid was Confucius’s favorite flower. This orchid produces deep red flowers with a unique and distinctive texture.

Find this hybrid orchid in the Aquatic House.

A wooden table holds several potted orchids with more orchids mounted on the wall above the table.
Photo by Romi Ige.

Citrus × microcarpa (Calamondin)

Two orange-like fruits grow between three larger, yellowish green fruits surrounded by large green leaves.
Photo by Romi Ige.
View Location of Calamondin

The Chinese name for calamondin translates to “four seasons of fortune” and the plant represents wealth and prosperity. A hybrid of kumquat and mandarin orange, calamondin fruit has a sweet peel and sour flesh.

Find this calamondin in the Conservatory Entry House.

A cluster of terracotta pots housing plants of various sizes sits on the floor in a greenhouse.
Photo by Jeremy Weine.

Bambusa vulgaris ‘Vittata’ (Bamboo ‘Vittata’)

Close-up of a bamboo branch with dark green leaves sprouting from a different branch behind.
Photo by Romi Ige.
View Location of Bamboo ‘Vittata’

Flexible yet unbreakable, bamboo symbolizes strength, humility, and adaptability. This cultivar is known for the irregular green stripes running longitudinally along its hollow stems.

Find this bamboo ‘Vittata’ in the Conservatory Entry House.

A bamboo plant grows between a staircase and a gray wall.
Photo by Jeremy Weine.

Pinus parviflora (Japanese White Pine)

A bonsai pine sits atop a slab of stone atop a wooden table.
Photo by Romi Ige.
View Location of Japanese White Pine

The pine thrives in rocky soil, featuring a strong trunk and gnarled branches. It represents integrity, resilience, and longevity. This species’ needle-like leaves grow in distinctive bundles of five.

Find this Japanese white pine in the Bonsai Museum.

A bonsai pine tree sits on a wooden table in the middle of a room lined with other bonsai specimen.
Photo by Romi Ige.

Prunus mume ‘Kobai’ (Japanese Apricot)

Pink flowers with long yellow-tipped stamens bloom along a dark branch with a light blue out-of-focus background.
Photo by Michael Stewart.
View Location of Japanese Apricot

This tree can be found in China, Taiwan, Korea, and Japan, and is primarily grown for ornamental purposes. The pink flowers bloom in mid to late winter and are followed by green to yellow fruit.

Find this Japanese apricot in the Bonsai Museum.

Flowering bonsai plants sit in pots on a table in front of a window.
Photo by Jeremy Weine.

Citrus japonica (Round Kumquat)

Two orange-like fruits grow from a green branch with small green leaves.
Photo by Romi Ige.
View Location of Kumquat

The gold-orange hue of kumquat fruit represents wealth and prosperity. Kumquat plants are hardier and more tolerant of cold weather than many of their relatives in the Citrus genus.

Find this round kumquat in the Warm Temperate Pavilion.

A small tree grows in a greenhouse beside terracotta pots holding flowering plants.
Photo by Romi Ige.

Osmanthus fragrans (Fragrant Olive)

Fragrant Olive, a plant with waxy green leaves and small ale orange blooms
Photo by Michael Stewart.
View Location of Fragrant Olive

The Chinese name for this tree resembles the Chinese word for nobility. It is believed that planting olive trees in front of your house can attract prestige and honor. The lovely, enveloping fragrance of this unassuming shrub helps make the Warm Temperate Pavilion a winter highlight at Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

Find this fragrant olive in the Warm Temperate Pavilion.

A small tree grows between a path and a set of concrete stairs.
Photo by Romi Ige.

We hope you enjoyed your visit and we wish you a happy Lunar New Year!