Alangium chinense
- Phonetic Spelling
- al-LAN-jee-um chi-NEN-see
- Description
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An evergreen tree native to the upland thickets of Africa and tropical Asia. It is an attractive shrub to small tree with some variation in its size, leaves and fruit depending on whether it is native to Asia or Africa. It is evergreen in the south and deciduous in the north. May experience die back in severe weather. It may be difficult to find for sale. However, some specimens have been successfully grown in Pennsylvania.
Plant it in moist well-drained soil in the full sun.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Alangium
- Species:
- chinense
- Family:
- Cornaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Used in Chinese and African herbal medicine. Oil from the seeds can be used to light lamps
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Stem Cutting
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Africa and Tropical Asia
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Broadleaf Evergreen
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Erect
- Oval
- Growth Rate:
- Slow
- Texture:
- Medium
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Alkaline (>8.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b, 11a, 11b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Purple/Lavender
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Summer
- Fruit Type:
- Drupe
- Fruit Description:
- Oval purple drupe that ripens late summer into fall.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Cyme
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Flower Petals:
- 7 - 20 petals/rays
- Flower Description:
- Small white fragrant flowers with 5-8 petals
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Broadleaf Evergreen
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Shape:
- Ovate
- Palmasect
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Leaves 4-6 × 1.5-3 inches and vary from narrowly elliptic to broadly ovate. The apex is acute to mucronate and the base rounded or subcuneate to subcordate. Margins are entire to slightly undulate and occasionally palmately lobed on young plants. Fall color is a muted yellow
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Dark Gray
- Bark Description:
- The bark is smooth and grey.
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Surface:
- Hairy (pubescent)
- Stem Description:
- Branchlets pubescent when young, later glabrous
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Landscape:
- Design Feature:
- Accent
- Specimen
