The Von Siebold Tree is a Japanese Elm growing in the Hortus Botanicus Leiden. It was brought to the Netherlands by Philipp Franz Von Siebold after his first visit to Japan (1823-1829) and forms part of the von Siebold collection in the botanic gardens.

The individual tree became a vehicle for the understanding of the structure and the aesthetic form of particular specimen. This is also a study of a non-native tree in its new environment and the impact this has on the environment around it. The tree incorporates a recognition of the history involved and the importance of von Siebold’s role as one of the foremost collectors of plants, whose collection today continues to have contemporary relevance and be the subject of research.