Famille
Salicaceae
Synonymes
Idesia polycarpa (var.) intermedia, Cathayeia polycarpa, Idesia polycarpa (var.) latifolia, Idesia polycarpa (var.) polycarpa
Large, heart-shaped, glossy dark green leaves that turn yellow in autumn. In summer, it is covered with panicles of small, fragrant, yellow-green flowers, followed by clusters of scarlet berries.
Classification
Trees and shrubs
Climat
Zone 8: from -12°C to -7°C
Couleur de feuille
Exposition
Sheltered winds
Sunny
Hauteur minimum
1000cm
Hauteur max
1500cm
Encombrement min
200cm
Encombrement max
500cm
Intérêts remarquables
Fruit
Type de sol
Acidic
Neutral
Utilisation au jardin
Isolated
Massif
General description
- Origin
- Asia, Korea, Taiwan, Central and Western China.
- Climate
- Withstands temperatures down to -15°C.
- Exposure
- Sunny to partial shade.
- Soil
- Does not tolerate limestone, well draining.
- Growth
- Rapid.
- Propagation
- Sowing.
General physiology
- Dimensions
- Can reach 10 m high by 5 to 8 m wide.
- Habit
- Fairly wide and conical crown, the port is spread out.
- Trunk
- Straight
- Bark
- Smooth, green and gray on older trees
- Branches
- The branches are tiered and horizontal, well ventilated.
- Note
- A male and a female tree must be planted to obtain fragrant flowering and fruiting.
Leaves
- Shape
- Large heart-shaped leaves, 10 to 20 cm.
- Colour
- Glossy dark green that turns yellow in autumn. The leaves are borne on a long red petiole.
- Note
- Deciduous foliage.
Flowers
- Flowering time
- May-June
- Shape
- In a panicle 15 cm long. Hanging.
- Colour
- Yellow-green.
- Note
- Fragrant flowers. Some plants are dioecious and others are hermaphroditic... The sexuality of this species is still very unclear. When the flowers have stamens and pistils, the tree is hermaphroditic and therefore self-fertile. A male plant cannot bear fruit. There are plants that exhibit parthenocarpy, and it wouldn't be surprising if this species did... so it would be plausible that a strictly female plant could produce fruit without necessarily involving male gametes. However, we have to wait for flowering to know for sure, but we can be certain that it is not a male plant if it produces fruit.
Fruits
- Shape
- In clusters of small berries.
- Colour
- Red.
- Note
- Persists throughout the winter.