Curator of Collections, Douglas Justice contributed today's photos and wrote the article.
UBC Botanical Garden's collection of Asian Styracaceae includes two species of Rehderodendron, three of Sinojackia, one Melliodendron, three Pterostyrax, one Halesia and eight species of Styrax, including this one.
From what we've seen, virtually all Styrax species are attractive plants and certainly worth growing for their small stature, fragrant, star-shaped flowers and hanging, nut-like drupes; however, some of the more obscure, recently collected taxa are problematic in terms of their identification. This has been helped enormously with the on-line availability of the Flora of China keys and illustrations, and the suberb new book, New Trees; Recent Introductions to Cultivation by Grimshaw and Bayton (2009), where many recently collected species are described.
This particular plant was grown from seed collected in the Huaping Cathaya Reserve, in northern Guangxi, China by Tom Hudson, plant explorer and manager of the Tregrehan Estate in Cornwall. Styrax tonkinensis is native to mixed forests at between 100 and 2000 metres elevation in southern China and adjacent Indochina. Our plant refuses to flower when it's supposed to (the printed descriptions all say May to June), waiting instead until the last week of July to open its blooms.
Hello-- I am a landscape designer down in Portland OR. I LOVE the looks of this Styrax! Can you tell us more about its cultural requirements? I assume if it will grow well in Vancouver, it would do well here, but are you Zone 7 there-? Any word about soil preferences? Drainage?
Thank you! As always, I find this page extremely interesting and informative...
flowers leave some of thier fragrance in the
hand that bestows them.
just knowing i live on the same planet as the
this lovely plant is kinda nice to know
thank you mr justice and mr eric
Styrax has got to be one of my favorite genera. I didn't know this species,however, thanks Douglas (as always!) for introducing this stunning plant, I'll look for it in the garden!
Crowangel: I dearly love all Styrax species, but they are truly woodland plants—not as adaptable to urban conditions as people think. I'm sure there are a few exceptions, but I think it's a family trait that plants suffer when drainage is poor or soil is compacted and there isn't enough shade or summer moisture. I can't tell you how many S. obassia trees I've seen fried to a crisp this summer. Please give these plants dappled shade, summer moisture, humus-rich soil, protection from cold wind and no pedestrian traffic. This species is really, basically unknown in cultivation and judging from its native habitat, probably no hardier than Zone 8.
I have had a S. obassia here in Olympia (Zone 7b) for about 10 years. I planted it in clay (when I was unwittingly into plant abuse) and in full sun at the top of a north-facing slope. It has grown vigorously every year, but, in a dry autumn, its leaves get crinkly and turn brown early, although they always show the dramatic outlines of the veins. This year, as usual, it is full of fruit!
Lovely! - a very elegant Styrax. Our native ones in the southeastern US may be a bit cold-hardier than the Asian spp.
Thanks also for the Tregrehan link. Inspiring garden imagery and fascinating history!
We have two Styrax japonica in the Univ. of RI Botanical Garden. They are attractive trees which flower and fruit reliably every year (zone 6, maritime climate). BUT they seed in very heavily, from being a real nuisance to invasiveness. Even last year's seedlings have a deep taproot. Not sure I'd recommend it.
Would this plant be hardy here in Zone 6? It's lovely!
...help..!..i haven't gotten BPOD....in my inbox for over a week..yikes..!
phillip did you perhaps hit the unsubcribe
button on your email? that can happen