Distylium racemosum seed
LATIN NAME: DISTYLIUM RACEMOSUM
COMMON NAME: Isu Tree, Distylium, Winter Bloom
The isu tree is a handsome, evergreen shrub or small tree of the warm woodlands, its dense, rounded crown of small, leathery, glossy, dark-green leaves giving a polished, formal look through the year. In late winter and early spring, before many other plants are in bloom, it produces small, curious, greenish-red flowers without true petals, the prominent stamens giving the clusters a fuzzy, brush-like appearance, and these are followed by small, woody capsules. The genus name Distylium refers to the two styles in each flower, a botanical curiosity that has drawn the attention of plant scientists. Native to subtropical eastern Asia, from central and southern Japan, the Ryukyu Islands and South Korea to southeastern China, it grows in warm woodlands and along stream sides, and it is a hardy, valued evergreen in gardens, where it is used for hedging, screening and as a specimen shrub. It tolerates heat, coastal conditions and a range of soils, and it thrives in full sun or light shade.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The isu tree has a growing record in horticulture, botany and ecology. Horticulturists study its cultivation, its many varieties and its use in garden design, hedging and coastal planting, and the tough, glossy evergreens of the genus have become increasingly valued in landscape design for their year-round structure and tolerance of difficult conditions. Botanists are fascinated by its unusual flowers — the distyly that gives the genus its name, and the petal-less, stamen-dominated blooms — and researchers study the floral biology and pollination of this member of the witch hazel family. Ecologists examine its role in the warm woodland community, its response to disturbance and its value as an early-flowering nectar source. The hard, durable timber has been used in its native range, drawing some forestry research. For an evergreen of such neatness and such botanical interest, the isu tree has a steady and growing body of research.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Ecologically, the isu tree is a generous evergreen of the warm woodlands. Its early, stamen-rich flowers feed bees and other early insects when few other plants are blooming, and its dense, glossy foliage gives shelter and nesting sites for birds and small animals through the year. It is a valuable component of the warm, evergreen woodland understorey. Economically, it is grown as an ornamental shrub and small tree in gardens, hedges and coastal plantings, valued for its neat, glossy foliage, its early flowers and its toughness, and it has a growing place in the nursery trade. The hard, durable timber is used locally for construction and crafts. For a grower, it is an easy and hardy evergreen for a sunny or lightly shaded spot, and for a gardener it brings polished, year-round foliage and curious early flowers. The seeds benefit from a cold, moist spell before sowing.
To grow the Isu Tree from seed, to raise the isu tree, subject the seeds to a cold, moist spell, then sow them in moist, free-draining compost in a bright spot and keep them lightly watered until the seedlings appear.
subject the seeds to a cold, moist spell, then sow them in moist, free-draining compost in a bright spot, and keep the young isu trees in a bright spot until the seedlings appear.
LATIN NAME: Distylium racemosum
COMMON NAME: Isu Tree, Distylium, Winter Bloom
The isu tree is a handsome and hardy evergreen of the warm woodlands, and its neat, glossy foliage and its small, curious flowers have made it a valued shrub of the garden. It grows as an evergreen shrub or small tree, reaching up to ten metres, with a dense, rounded crown of small, leathery, glossy, dark green leaves, edged with a fine toothing, and, in late winter and early spring, the small, curious, greenish-red flowers without true petals, borne in dense clusters along the stems, and giving the genus its name, since the distyly of the flowers is a noted feature, followed by the small, woody capsules. It is a species of the witch hazel family, native to subtropical eastern Asia, from central and southern Japan, the Ryukyu Islands and South Korea to southeastern China, and it is a hardy and valued evergreen of the garden.
The isu tree belongs to the witch hazel family, Hamamelidaceae, and it is a species of flowering plant native to subtropical eastern Asia, including central and southern Japan, the Ryukyu Islands, South Korea and southeastern China. It is known as the isu tree, and it is prized for its neat, glossy foliage and its early, curious flowers.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The isu tree has a genuine and growing place in both horticultural and botanical research. It has been studied in horticulture, since it is a handsome and hardy evergreen shrub, prized for its neat, glossy foliage and its early flowers, and researchers have examined its cultivation, its many varieties and its value in the garden and the hedge, while the tough, glossy evergreens of the genus have become valued in the garden design, and the tolerance of the isu tree to the warm and the coastal conditions has been examined. The plant has also been studied in botany, since it is a member of the witch hazel family, and researchers have examined its classification and its relationships, while the remarkable flowers of the genus, which give the plant the name of the distyly, have been studied, and the biology of the curious, petal-less flowers has been examined. The species has also been studied in ecology, since it is a native of the warm woodlands, and its growth and its role in the woodland community have been examined. For an evergreen of such neatness and such interest, the isu tree has a steady and growing record of research.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Ecologically, the isu tree is a generous evergreen of the warm woodlands. Its early flowers feed the bees and the early insects, and its dense, glossy foliage gives shelter, while it is a neat and hardy presence in the woodlands and the hedges of its native lands.
Its economic value is real. It is a handsome and hardy evergreen shrub, grown in the gardens, the hedges and the coastal plantings, and its neat, glossy foliage and its toughness have drawn attention in the international gardening press as a valued evergreen of the warm garden, while its relatives have also been used for their hard wood in its native lands. For a grower, the isu tree is an easy and hardy evergreen, and for a gardener it brings neat, glossy foliage and curious early flowers. The seeds need a spell of cold — keep them in the fridge in damp compost for a couple of months, then sow them in a pot of moist, free-draining compost, and theyll sprout steadily, growing on into a neat, glossy evergreen.
Native to Southern Japan, this attractive and rare evergreen plant grows into a tree in its natural habitat, yielding valuable hard timber. In the United Kingdom, Distylium racemosum grows somewhat more slowly and has dark green, glossy, leathery leaves all year round. In spring attractive, small, red, Hamamelis-like flowers with lurid purple stamens appear on the older branches. An elegant evergreen, spring flowered plant