Davidia involucrata |
Origin: Central China
Zone Range: 6-9
Preferred Situation: Full to semi sun; well draining deep soil.
Harvest Date: Thursday 27 December, 2007
Description:
Beautiful tree with spreading branches casting summer shade in any garden. Can grow 13 meters tall with equal spread. Plan accordingly when seating your Davidia as it WILL become a focal point. Known to start blooming at 10 years. Flowers are actually white bracts resembling small silk handkerchiefs with a dark purple black bobble (the actual flowering body) hanging immediately below. Branches are covered with these. In the faintest breeze, the bracts flutter resembling a flock of white doves, hence it name. Bright yellow Autumn colour. Nuts can persist over winter and resemble ginkgo fruits, but in shape only.
Notes:
Each nut can have up to 10 individual seed chambers. Possible germination inhibition of any sibling embryos from the first 'born' so make sure to remove nut from sproutling (or vise versa) so the remaining can emerge. Yes, you have to do this each time a seedling slips from its chamber. Very rewarding. Plan your garden parties to coenside with the Davidia flowering in late May.
Cultivation:
Cleaned seed. When you receive the seeds, place them in a resealable baggie of moistened peat warm stratify 120 days followed by 90 days of cold stratificaiton. Brief periods of warm followed by cold also initiate germination, which can be rapid. Sow seeds 3 cm deep in a sowing layer of equal parts coarse sand, non oyster shell bird grit (stone), perlite and peat. May take 18 months to germinate or more or less! I've had seed germinate in the warm stratification process, so check often and stir seed in the moist peat. This is my third year growing this species from seed, with great success in the previous.
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