Japanese Raisintree

Has anybody grown this tree or familiar with it at all? While hunting info on one tree I discovered this one and with it's culture seems to be one that might do good in my area. I have downloaded info I have found about it from the internet, but just wondered if anybody has any personal experience with it before I start hunting seeds of it to cultivate.

Beautiful as they are, I have enough weed trees in my yard and don't need anymore. Since it doesn't seem to be grown very much I wondered what it's problem was.

Thanks!

I've grown this "tree" but it doesn't seem to grow that well unless it is planted against a south-facing wall in our area. It need heat buildup to grow well. http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/raisintree.html

Based on its rate of growth you'd be better off ordering plants. I believe Northwoods or Raintree list it.

I've grown this from seed and just planted out my first tree two weeks ago. I must say that for foliage alone, as the tree appears growing in its pot, this is a real favorite of mine. Every bit as beautiful as katsura or sourwood or whatever. I am somewhat leery about how well it will grow for me, as no local or even regional arboretum appears to be growing it nor any local gardeners I know of. But I'm crossing my fingers and carrying a lucky charm and going to church on Sunday, so perhaps there is hope. The flowers are reputed to be very fragrant. Dirr likes the bark and overall form.

Scott

Growin... Thanks for the "south-wall" info and the link. I was wondering, did your evr get to produce the little raisins and were you brave enough to try them? Would you consider it a messy tree? I don't mind messy trees when they have beautiful blooms like this one is supposed too, I just like to know , so I know whether to plant anything around or under it.

I see Northwood has some and may just order from there if I can't find a bunch of seeds any place else. Unless it is from somebody I know I usually try and get seeds. May take a few years longer, but I feel better about protecting my little space of ground from unknowns then.

Scott... How did you germinate your seeds, please. I was reading that link Growin sent that germination is not an easy thing which could one of the reasons people don't grow it, or maybe since it doesn't seem to have any known cultivars to expand on the lines cultural qualities.

Dirr must have like d it pretty well because he included it in his book of Woody Plant Propagation. He listed using acid only though for better germination time.

We don't have one at our Arboretum either, so if I manage to get some and get em going I will donate a couple to add to the collection.

I hope yours hangs in there and does well too. : )

I didn't have any problem with germination. Simply sowed the seeds in pots in the fall and left them outdoors. I obtained my seed from Schumacher's. I don't believe this should be a messy plant. The so-called raisons are actually swollen pedicels from the seedhead (I believe I've gotten all my hort terms right). The fruits must be fairly large, because the seeds--as I recall--are about the size of BBs, maybe a little larger. It is a good, steady, strong grower in pots for me, and in two or three years you will have a 4-6' plant in a 5-gallon container easy.

Scott

For some reason I was mixing up Jubejube and Japanese Rainsin - sorry. Now I remember the foliage was nice, didn't grow so fast either, didn't seem messy. I just remember reading that it needs the heat to ripen the fruit. We have cool summers without much heat. I think it needs to bake for fruit-set. I can't remember where I read that. My plant was a 1 gal and after 15 years was 3'. My folks sold the property it was on.

That's alright Growin...... I have the heat down here if thats what it needs to ripen. I don't have the cold though if that's what it takes to germinate them. I wonder if it would be better when I get some seed to pot em up and put in the fridge for awhile if they need to break dormancy? Any thoughts? Usually I get a mild frost or two but not often usually my lowest temps are around 35 to 40F for the winter.

The seeds don't need to freeze to start the chemical processes that result in germination, just cool damp. A mild 30-40F winter is probably ideal.

Scott

Thanks Scott!!!! I am really excited about starting to work with this tree.