Bretschneidera sinensis seed

LATIN NAME: Bretschneidera sinensis

COMMON NAME: Chinese Dove Tree

The Chinese dove tree is the handkerchief tree of the high valley, and the large, white bracts flutter like the doves through the late spring. The spreading, deciduous tree carries the broad, heart-shaped leaves with the serrated edges and the small, round heads of the flowers surrounded by the two large, unequal, white or pale-green bracts that flutter like the doves through the late spring, one of the fine, rare sights of the cool garden, to be followed by the small, pear-shaped fruits. The tree is a fine, historic presence of the study collection. It is a tree of the open, sunny to partly shaded, deep, moist, well-drained ground.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The Chinese dove tree is a rare subject of the plant science, and the fluttering bracts keep showing up in the work on the endangered trees. The breeding and the conservation of the tree, which is one of the rare trees of the Chinese valleys, have been looked at closely, and it keeps appearing in the studies of the rare tree conservation, the endemic Chinese trees and the members of its small family. The broad, heart-shaped leaves and the spreading habit have also made it a fine study tree, and the Chinese dove tree is a regular subject of the work on the rare, dove-winged trees of the East.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

The Chinese dove tree is a fine, rare tree of the cool garden and the study collection. The two large, white bracts flutter like the doves through the late spring, one of the fine, rare sights of the tree collection, and the broad, heart-shaped leaves follow into the fine, green crown of the summer. The tree is one of the rare treasures of the Chinese valleys, and the planted trees grow for the conservation and the future of the species, best left to the care of the careful gardener. It is one of the fine choices for the specimen planting, the arboretum and the rare-tree collection, and It has been written up in the botanical and the horticultural papers for the dove bracts and the rare, endangered ways. It is a fine, long-lived tree of the open, sunny to partly shaded, deep, moist, well-drained garden.

Give the young tree a sheltered corner and a steady supply of the moisture, and the doves will come in the years ahead.

To grow the Chinese dove tree from seed, sow the small, brown seeds a centimetre down in a pot of fine seed compost, keep the pot in a cool, bright spot and water gently, then set the young plants out in the open ground. The seedlings come up in their own good time and grow on steadily, so a little patience brings the reward. With the sun or the light shade and the deep, moist, well-drained ground, the doves will flutter through the late spring in the years ahead.

In recent decades, natural populations of Bretschneidera sinensis have been greatly reduced by habitat loss and deforestation both for agricultural expansion and for medicinal use. Its attractive flowers also make it a popular ornamental tree, and over-collection of seeds has also contributed to the decline of this species.
Cooperation with local governments and communities is an essential part of the conservation