Pterocarya stenoptera seed

LATIN NAME: PTEROCARYA STENOPTERA

COMMON NAME: Chinese Wingnut

The Chinese wingnut festoons the large, deciduous tree with the compound leaves of the many narrow, toothed leaflets and the long, hanging chains of the small, green flowers that open through the spring, the winged nuts following in the long, pendulous chains, the chains festooning from the branches, the bark fissuring with the age. It likes the sun, and the deep, moist soil near the water.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The long fruiting chains of the Chinese wingnut give it a recognised place in the research on the waterside trees of the walnut family, and the stenoptera species appears in the studies of the bank-stabilising roots and the winged fruit structure. The work looks at the way the chains festoon from the branches, the fast riverside growth, and the seed biology. The ecologists value the bank cover, and the growers of the waterside and park trees keep the species in their catalogues.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

In the waterside and the wide park, the Chinese wingnut festoons the spring garden with the long chains. The winged nuts hang through the season, the roots hold the moist banks, and the tree makes the fine shade by the water. It thrives in the deep, moist, sunny ground. Long-chained, riverside and fast-growing.

To grow the Chinese Wingnut from seed, sow the fresh seeds into the shallow, sandy drills of the open bed in the autumn, then cover them lightly, keep the drills moist, and the young trees start in the spring.

Keep the drills moist, and give the young trees the open, sunny spot. The festoon keys come within a few seasons. Stand the young trees near the water in the deep, moist ground, and the festoon keys will hang within a few seasons.

Chinese Wingnut, Pterocarya stenoptera, Tree Seeds
Rare, Fast Growth, Shade Tree, Unusual Showy Flowers/Fruit, Specimen Tree, Wind and Drought Tolerant, Adaptable, Bonsai
Chinese Wingnut is a large fast growing deciduous shade tree growing 50 to 70 feet with large, substantial branches which spread as wide as the tree is tall. The dark green compound leaves, 6 to 12 inch long are composed of many, finely-toothed, oval leaflets. The leaves do not display any appreciable fall color. Of particular interest are the 6 to 12 inch long seed clusters, green strings of winged seeds suspended below the branches which turn brown and fall in autumn. This unusual and rare tree grows at a phenomenal rate. The trunk can reportedly grow to at least eight feet in diameter. Genus name comes from ptero (winged) and carya (hickory).
Chinese Wingnut may perform well as a street or shade tree but the aggressive roots may make it unsuitable for use in a lawn or garden. It should be considered for broader use as an urban tree but it is largely untested, so use it with caution. Locate it well away from (10 feet or more) a sidewalk or driveway so the large-diameter surface roots will not lift the concrete. Prune early in the life of the tree to form a good, strong structure by spacing major limbs several feet apart along a central trunk. Do not allow these limbs to grow more than about two-thirds the diameter of the trunk to encourage formation of a strong branch collar.