Evodia daniellii seed

LATIN NAME: Tetradium daniellii

COMMON NAME: Bee Bee Tree

Bee bee tree is the fine, white-flowered, honey tree of the warm gardens, and its large, flat heads of the small, white, fragrant flowers are one of the great bee trees. The open, round-headed tree carries the pinnate, fresh-green leaves, and the broad, flat heads of the many small, white, fragrant flowers open through the summer, pulling in the bees from all around. The tree is famous for the way the bees work it through the season, and it is a generous, easy tree of the sunny garden. It is a fine, dependable honey tree.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

Bee bee tree has a steady and growing place in the plant science, and it has been studied for its fine, nectar-rich flowers and its place among the honey trees. The broad, flat heads of the white flowers and the way the bees work them through the long season have been studied closely, and the plant keeps showing up in the work on the bee forage and the nectar plants. The open, round-headed habit and the pinnate, fresh-green leaves have also made it a fine garden tree, and it is a regular subject of the studies of the late-summer nectar trees and the pollinator-friendly planting.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

Bee bee tree is grown for the flowers and the honey. The broad, flat heads of the white, fragrant flowers open through the summer, and they are one of the great bee trees, giving the bees a long, generous season of the nectar. The tree is a fine, easy addition to the garden, the park and the apiary, and the open, round-headed habit gives a fine, fresh green look. It has been written about in the apicultural and the horticultural papers for its value to the bees, and it is a generous, easy tree of the sunny garden.

The bee bee tree is one of the great honey trees, and the broad, flat heads of the small, white flowers keep the bees busy through the long summer. In the regions where it is grown the beekeepers value it highly, for it gives a steady, generous flow of the nectar when many of the other flowers are done. The open, round-headed tree is also a fine, easy shade tree of the sunny garden.

The bee bee tree is a fine, easy tree for the garden and the park, and the open, round-headed habit gives a fine, fresh green look through the season. The tree is a dependable, long-lived addition to the sunny garden.

To grow the bee bee tree from seed, let the small, dark seeds soak in warm water overnight, then sow them at a shallow depth in pots of moist, free-draining soil, keep them in a bright, open spot and water gently. The seedlings are up in their own good time and grow on fast. With the sun and the well-drained soil, the flat heads of the fragrant, white flowers will be there in a few seasons, pulling in the bees from all around.

Evodia daniellii, commonly called evodia or bee bee tree, is native to Korea and southwestern China. It is a deciduous tree with a rounded, spreading, umbrella-shaped habit. It typically grows to 25-30’ (less frequently to 50’) tall and as wide. Small, fragrant, white (sometimes tinged yellow or pink) flowers bloom in flattened corymbs (to 4-6” wide) in July-August. Flowers are loved by honey bees and bloom in abundance at a time when few other trees are in flower. Flowers give way to reddish-purple seed pods that split open when ripe. Each pod contains two, shiny black seeds. Pods remain on the tree from late August to November. Birds are attracted to the seed. Opposite, pinnately compound leaves (to 18” long), each with 7-11 ovate glossy dark green leaflets (2-5” long), retain good color throughout the growing season. Fall color is generally absent, with the leaves typically dropping when green or yellowish-green. Smooth gray bark. This tree is in the same family as Zanthoxylum americanum. Easily grown in consistently moist, moderately fertile, well-drained soils in full sun. Tolerates some light shade. Good small lawn tree. Woodland gardens. Hardy in zones 4-8.