Alangium chinense

Alangium chinense, or Chinese Alangium, is a small tree or large bush that is slowly making its way into our gardens due to its exotic-looking foliage (deciduous in Northern Europe) and its long, fragrant summer flowering period with clusters of rather discreet small white flowers. This relatively hardy forest tree species is also not very demanding in terms of soil, as long as it is properly drained and not too dry. It can be planted in isolation, in a free hedge, or even in the back of an exotic flowerbed.

Alangium chinense is a bush with a weak suckering habit and a rather variable appearance, belonging to the Alangiaceae family, which has only one genus. Its distribution area is very wide, it is a fast-growing pioneer species typical of disturbed forests, growing at up to 2000 m (6560 ft) altitude in Africa and up to 3000 m (9800 ft) in the Himalayas. It is found in temperate and tropical Asia, Southeast Asia, the island of Java, as well as in central and southern Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, Angola). This large, fast-growing bush will reach 5m (16 ft) in height and 4m (13 ft) in width in 4-5 years. It has a wide and rounded habit, composed of horizontal branches. The young branches are downy and then become glabrous once mature. They bear deciduous, alternate, simple, ovate leaves, sometimes palmate (2 to 5 lobes), 5 to 30 cm (2 - 12 in) long and 3 to 28 cm (1 - 11 in) wide. Their colour is a bright and vivid green, turning yellow in autumn. It seems that specimens from Africa have non-lobed leaves, unlike Asian ones. The upper side of the leaves is dark green, the underside lighter. Fragrant flowering occurs in July-August. Small fluffy flowers, similar to tiny 2cm (0.8 in) lilies, are grouped in clusters 6 to 8 cm (2.5 - 3 in) long, in the axils of the leaves. The flowers give rise to small blue-black ribbed fruits, ovoid, not exceeding 1.5 cm (0.6 in) in length, quite decorative.

Relatively hardy, this amazing bush is capable of regrowing from the stump after a -18°C (-0.4 °F) frost, and flowering the following summer. Its is therefore possible to plant in many regions, especially as it thrives in any good garden soil. It grows quickly, delights and charms with its difficult-to-describe exotic appearance. It could be planted alone in a large garden, or in front of a plain evergreen hedge, for example. Or combine with e.g. a deciduous magnolia (Magnolia stellata Rosea, M. Star Wars), Tetrapanax papyfera, or giant canna. It can be pruned to maintain a bushy habit and admire its remarkable foliage.

This Alangium chinense is sometimes used in carpentry, and the oil extracted from its seeds as fuel for lighting. Its roots are used in traditional remedies in Chinese pharmacopoeia.