Davidia involucrata Sonoma - Dove Tree

Davidia involucrata 'Sonoma', a very rare cultivated form of the handkerchief tree, does away with one of the major drawbacks of this superb species, which is often criticised for its flowering that takes almost fifteen years to appear. This variety has the same other characteristics as the main type: it offers an extraordinary spring flowering in the form of balls of stamens surrounded by large, highly decorative white bracts that persist for a long time on the branches. Distributed throughout the branches like small pockets, this unusual flowering is the source of the plant's vernacular name.  This cool-climate species is quite easy to grow in ordinary but deep, fertile, light and moist soil. It is a collector's tree that deserves a prominent position, preferably in partial shade, in a sheltered location. 

Davidia involucrata is a plant in the Nyssaceae family, just like Nyssa sylvatica with its magnificent autumn colours. This fully hardy tree, the only representative of its genus, is native to the western Sichuan province in China. It was discovered there in 1869 by a missionary botanist named Jean-Pierre Armand-David, who gave it its species name. In nature, this tree with a rounded habit can live for a hundred years and reach a height of 20 m (65 ft 7 in). In our gardens, it will rarely exceed 12 m (39 ft 5 in) in all directions.

The 'Sonoma' cultivar is not widely available in the horticultural trade. It differs from the main type only by its rapid flowering, which sometimes occurs in the year of planting, on subjects that are 40 cm (15.7 in) tall. Its habit is spreading and rounded, and its dimensions will not exceed 12 m (39 ft 5 in) in height and 10 m (32 ft 10 in) in width. Its growth is quite slow, depending on the growing conditions. The foliage of this davidia is deciduous. The heart-shaped leaves, measuring from 8 to 16 cm (3.1 to 6.3 in) in length, have dentate margins and resemble those of the lime tree. They are a bright light green on the upper side, with a greyish, felted and fluffy underside.

This tree provides remarkable flowering: from May to June, pendulous inflorescences appear composed of small flowers with a diameter of 1-2 cm (0.4-0.8 in) surrounded by a pair of large, unequal bracts resembling a leaf and a petal, of very decorative pure white. The inflorescences measure 15 cm (5.9 in) in length. The globular flowers consist of red-purple anthers and numerous white stamens. After flowering, pendant fruits of 2-4 cm (0.8-1.6 in) in diameter appear in brown balls that remain on the tree during winter.

Place the Sonoma Handkerchief Tree as a standalone specimen in your garden, as a grove, or in small groups with large white-flowered dogwoods such as Cornus controversa, remarkable for its horizontally tiered habit. To accompany it in acidic soil, choose, for example, Rhododendrons, Pieris, Leucothoe, or Corylopsis. Plant shade-loving perennials at its base that can cover the ground, such as foamflowers, pachysandra, lily of the valley, Christmas roses, lungworts, or hostas.