toona sinensis seed Chinese mahogany

LATIN NAME: Toona sinensis

COMMON NAME: Chinese Mahogany, Chinese Toon, Red Toon, Beef and Onion Plant

The Chinese toon is a noble and generous tree of the eastern Asian forests, and its tender, aromatic new leaves, which taste of a curious mix of the onion and the meat, have made it a treasured vegetable and a fine timber tree of the region. It grows as a large, deciduous tree of the mahogany family, reaching up to twenty-five metres, with a tall, straight trunk and a broad crown of large, pinnate leaves, which flush with a handsome, reddish colour when young and give the tree its name of the red toon, followed by the drooping clusters of the small, white or greenish flowers and the small, winged seeds. It is a species of the Toona, native to the eastern and the southeastern Asia, ranging from the northern Korean peninsula through the most of the eastern, central and southwestern China, in Nepal, the northeastern India and the Burma, while it is a prized tree of the kitchen and the forest, and it is known by the many names, including the Chinese mahogany, the Chinese cedar, the red toon and the beef and onion plant.

The Chinese toon belongs to the mahogany family, Meliaceae, and it is a species of the Toona, native to the eastern and the southeastern Asia, ranging from the northern Korean peninsula through the most of the eastern, central and southwestern China, in Nepal, the northeastern India and the Burma. It is prized for its tender leaves and its fine timber.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The Chinese toon has a genuine and distinguished place in both culinary and forestry research. It has been studied in the food science and in the chemistry of the natural products, since the tender new leaves are a treasured vegetable of the East, with their curious, onion-and-meat flavour, and researchers have examined the leaves, their aroma and their beneficial compounds, while the young shoots of the toon have been a spring delicacy of the Chinese kitchen for a very long time, and the chemistry of the toon has drawn attention in the international food and nutrition press as a distinctive vegetable of the spring. The tree has also been studied in the forestry and the wood science, since its wood is fine, straight-grained and valued, and researchers have examined the properties of the wood and its uses, while the fine timber of the toon has been used for the furniture and the joinery of the region, and the value of the Chinese mahogany has drawn attention in the international wood press. The species has also been studied in the ecology and the horticulture, since it is a native of the eastern Asian forests and a valued tree of the garden, and its growth, its cultivation and its role in the forest and the garden have been examined. For a tree of such versatility, the Chinese toon has a rich and distinguished record of research.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

Ecologically, the Chinese toon is a noble tree of the eastern Asian forests. Its small flowers feed the bees and the insects, and its broad, pinnate crown gives shelter, while it is a valued presence in the forests and the villages of the East.

Its economic value is real and historic. The tender new leaves are a treasured spring vegetable of the Chinese kitchen, and their distinctive flavour has drawn attention in the international food and nutrition press, while the fine, straight-grained timber has also been valued for the furniture and the joinery, and the tree has drawn attention in the international wood press. For a grower, the Chinese toon is a rewarding and generous tree, and for a gardener in a temperate, warm region it brings handsome, red-flushed foliage and a harvest of tender, aromatic shoots. The seeds are simple and generous — sow them in a pot of moist, free-draining compost in a warm, bright spot, keep them lightly watered, and they’ll be sprouting within a couple of weeks, growing on into a noble, aromatic-leaved tree.

Toona sinensis, Cedrella sinensis, or chinese red cedar, originated in China, has been used as vegie/spice since the ancient times in China. The tender leaves and new shoots are the edible parts of the plant.

This tree produces top quality timer. It does not attact pests. In fact, pests try to stay away from it.
it has a very unique kind of flavour.