Poliothyrsis sinensis

Poliothyrisis sinensis, a rare Chinese small tree, nevertheless possesses all the qualities of a first-rate ornamental tree and is perfectly suited to small gardens. It has a beautiful spreading habit, deciduous foliage with large glossy dark green leaves, initially coppery, turning orange in autumn. In summer, it is covered with abundant large aerial clusters of small cream-white flowers, with a delicate fragrance. It is highly hardy and very resistant to drought, tolerating both full sun and partial shade, as well as ordinary garden soil.

The Pearl Flower Tree, Poliothyrsis sinensis, is a small tree or large bush that is perfectly hardy, with fairly rapid growth, belonging to the Flacourtiaceae family, and native to high-altitude forests in central China. Measuring 5 to 6m (19 to 20ft) in all directions in our latitudes, it has a spreading silhouette. The grey bark of its trunk becomes deeply fissured with age. Its glossy deciduous foliage consists of large dark green oval leaves, initially coppery. They measure 10 to 15cm (5.9in) long and are carried on red petioles. In autumn, its foliage takes on splendid orange to red colours. In July-August, it is covered with abundant airy panicles, 15 to 25cm (9.8in) long, with delicately fragrant, light, cup-shaped flowers, initially greenish-white, then ivory to yellow.

This tree was first cultivated in 1908 at the Arnold Arboretum in Boston, United States, from seeds collected by Ernest Henry Wilson (1876-1930), known as "Chinese Wilson", a famous British botanist who collected and introduced a large number of Asian species to the West. The Chinese Poliothyrsis is very adaptable to soil type and location, and is perfectly suited to small gardens due to its compact size. It can of course be used as a standalone specimen, but also integrated into a mass planting of trees or shrubs.