Poliothyrsis sinensis or Chinese Pearlbloom tree is a shrub-like deciduous tree that can reach up to 25 feet. It likes full sun and blooms during the summer with white, fragrant flowers. In the fall, the leaves turn to an iridescent burgundy color.
Deciduous tree. Young shoots gray, pubescent. Leaves alternate, ovate, dentate, 7-23 cm long, 3-13 cm wide, light green and glabrous when mature above, paler with scattered hairs on nerves beneath. Petiole reddish . Apex acuminate, base cordate, rounded or truncate. Inflorescence 20-30 cm long, whitish tomentose, in terminal panicles in July-August. Flowers unisexual, fragant, apetalous with 5 conspicuous sepals, white turning yellow when opened. Male flowers 4-5 mm across, female ones bigger, 7-8 mm across at the end of the inflorescence. Capsule ellipsoid 2 cm long.
Genus - Poliothyrsis
Species - Sinensis
Common name - Chinese Pearlbloom
Pre-Treatment - Required
Hardiness zones - 6 - 9
Height - 30'-40' / 9.1m - 12.2m
Spread - 15'-25' / 4.6m - 7.6m
Plant type - Tree
Vegetation type - Deciduous
Exposure - Sun to Partial Shade
Growth rate - Medium
Soil PH - Acidic, Neutral
Soil type - Clay, laom, Sand, well drained
Water requirements - Average water needs, water regularly, do not overwater
Landscape uses - Fragrant Flowers
Germination rate - 89%
Bloom season - Mid Summer
Leaf / Flower color - Green / White
Useful Info | |
Germination | 1. Fill a 1-gallon plastic bag with 5 cups of sharp river sand. Drizzle water over the sand while mixing it by hand to evenly moisten it. Bury the seeds in the moistened sand. Seal the bag. 2. Store the seeds in the moistened sand for 30 days inside a refrigerator to cold stratify them and prompt germination. Remove the seeds from cold storage once the growing containers are prepared. 3. Dig up soil from the garden bed where the plants will be planted using a garden spade. Mix three parts garden soil with one part sharp river sand to create a suitable planting mix for the seeds. Fill one 10-inch nursery container with the soil and sand mixture for each tree desired. 4. Sow two seeds in each pot to a depth of 1/2 inch. Water each pot to a depth of 3 inches. 5. Place the pots outdoors in a sunny spot for the winter. Moisten the soil only if little or no rain falls for a long period of time. 6. Watch for signs of germination the following spring when outdoor air temperatures rise above 65 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 to 20 days. Move the pots to a spot with dappled shade during the hottest part of the day once the seedlings reach 1 inch in height. 7. Thin the seedlings to one per pot once they grow a set of mature leaves. Remove the smaller or less robust seedling. 8. Keep the seedlings in their pots until they reach 1 foot in height, then plant them out in a permanent bed with a soil pH of between 4.5 and 6.5. Info source: eHow.com |