Davidia Species, Dove Tree, Ghost Tree, Handkerchief Tree

There is a locally famous example of this species in
Fair Oaks, California in the Sacramento suburbs.
It is planted in a fa...Read Moreirly wet and shady location, with
a couple of seasonal steams running through the
environment. The Prof who manages the CSUS
arboretum here tried to get one established, with
no positive results to date. The Fair oaks tree sets
pretty abundant seed at this point, and is old enough
to flower quite spectacularly. Worth a visit in season.

I planted 5 davidias 4 yrs ago that were 4-5 ft tall at that time. Patiently I wait each year for them to start blooming. Don't know how ...Read Moreold they were when I planted them. Wish I knew how to tell they are finally blooming. Last 2 yrs they tease with a tiny white (1/4 inch) extension on the green leaves but no blooms yet!!

l planted a dove tree last year out back. It is ten feet tall. I tried to put it in a position where it would get some afternoon shade ...Read Morebut that doesn't happen until three or four o'clock. This spring it leafed out beautifully and was doing quite well until late June or early July. The upper 90's and hundred plus degree days caused it to lose many of its leaves. I have been watering it deeply several times a week due to the lack of rain but I am wondering if this is why I don't see it used more often in this area. Many nurseries sell it but it does not seem to do real well with heat. For those who have larger specimens - as it gets more established does it take heat better?

June 5, 2008
I saw a huge Davidia involucrata at the Washington Arboretum Park in Seattle earlier this week. It was on the tail-e...Read Morend 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.

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 t...Read Morehat 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....Read Morer /> 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 severa...Read Morel 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 Gar...Read Moreden (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'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) 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 ...Read More
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 .