WONDER TREE

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32274, 17 April 1970, Page 10

WONDER TREE

The idesia may bear the; name of wonder tree because of the very long bunches of reddish-brown to dark red; berries which hang so prominently and very persistently from the ends of the shoots right through from I late summer into winter.

Idesia polycarpa is the only i

species of the genus of ; Chinese origin and decidu- 1 ous. It makes a very beautiful, reasonably quick-growing, wide-spreading tree, over 20 feet tall under suitable conditions. The leaves are longstalked, cordate and pointed, • with wavy margins of rich

green, with good autumn colour before falling. Although idesia is generally regarded as dioecious, that is carrying flowers of one sex only on each individual plant, so that one of each sex is required to obtain fruit, this does not seem to be fully endorsed as many isolated female trees have never

apparently carried berries. The flowers appear in late spring. They are small and hang in large panicles, the male flowers being orangeyellow and the females yel-low-green. To succeed well the idesia must be grown in a windfree well-drained position and have protection from heavy frosts: it will survive frosts but does not do after them.