PlantFiles: Dove Tree, Handkerchief Tree, Ghost Tree
Davidia involucrata

June 5, 2008
I saw a huge Davidia involucrata at the Washington Arboretum Park in Seattle earlier this week. It was on the tail-end of its bloom period. There were many 3/4" diameter fruits from last year's bloom on the ground so I gathered about 30 of them and have been working on cleaning the husk from the seeds in preparation for making an attempt at germination. I've scouted around and have found the best information at the following website complete with photographs.

[HYPERLINK@www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org]
t=1638

It will be an interesting process for sure. Hope this helps other folks who are trying to germinate Davidia involucrata. Good luck!

My first crack at growing this tree was placing it in a well drained site in full sun (big mistake!) It grew poorly, with little leaves that dried out quickly in the hot sun. It didn't make it through the summer, even when I tried to surround it with a few tall potted plants in a last ditch effort to save the poor thing. I bought a new one the next year, and put it in a new sheltered location, with afternoon shade and moist well drained soil, and it is happily growing with huge leaves (it is still a small 2 foot tree, as they are not easy to find) but growing at a much faster pace than the last tree. I'm sure I won't see flowers for a while, but this tree shows promise.

Chinese Dove Tree Chronicle
Before the Glacial Age:
Distributed worldwide.
After the Glacial Age:
Died out.
1869:
A Frenchman (godfather) found dove trees in Muping of Sichuan, China.
1903:
Introduced to Britain; then to other European countries.
1954:
Chinese former Premier Zhou Enlai visited Geneva, finding almost every family there cultivated a dove tree.
Recent years:
Reported finding wild dove tree forests in some parts of China except in Sichuan. They are: Hubei, Hunan,Yunnan, Guizhou.
Reported many China's natural parks introduced the species.

This is a favorite in my garden in upstate NY. My tree is too immature to flower but the scent of its foliage has already provided several seasons of enjoyment. The scent reminds me of the flavor of black currant (ribes). In the early years I protected the tree in winter with a canvas blind. Now it is thriving in the border that provides eastern sun and the protection from a neighbor's grape vines.

The white bracts on the flowers can make for a truly spectacular show on mature specimens. I saw a mature tree at Vandusen Botanical Garden (Vancouver, Canada) several years ago, and was quite impressed with the beautiful combination of soft white "flowers" and the rich green spring foliage.

I'm trying to grow one where I live in KY (zone 6b) in a protected location where it hopefully won't get hit hard during the winters. This is the third year, and so far it's done well. I started with a small tube seedling I purchased from Forestfarm in OR. I've heard it will take several years before it will bloom, so it may be a long wait. I did try growing it from seed too, but didn't have any success in getting the seed to germinate.

UPDATE: 10-07-08
My tree died last spring due to a very hard, late frost. I thought it might resprout, but the late freeze after it had fully leafed out was too much for it. Since then, I purchased a larger plant (5 gallon) from Whitman Farms of the cultivar "Sonoma" and it has done well so far. "Sonoma" is supposed to be hardier than the species. I planted it in October of 2007, it leafed out great this spring, and has done well despite a scorching hot summer. I did let a morning glory (Minibar Rose) grow over it to help shade it during the summer since some of the leaves were getting scorched by the sun, and that seems to have helped. I was afraid the hot, intense summers in KY with the tree being in full sun from sunup until around 2-3 PM each day would be too much for the newly transplanted tree. I watered it regularly in its prime spot in a raised bed. It did have a few blooms this spring, so hopefully it'll have even more in the spring of 2009.

Country of Origin: China
USDA Z 5 - 8
Size: 30 ft X 30 ft
Type: pyramidal deciduous tree
Annual Growth Rate: 12 to 18 inches
Flowers: White
Fruit: Reddish brown
The Dove Tree produces large white bracts in the spring. It can not be relied on to flower every year. The
tree may suffer winter injury in northern gardens. The foliage has been described as aromatic .