Toxicodendron vernicifluum (formerly Rhus verniciflua), also known with the common name Chinese lacquer tree, Toxicodendron vernicifluum is a species of genus Toxicodendron (formerly Rhus) that grows in East Asia, in regions of China, Korea and Japan. The trees are cultivated and tapped for their toxic sap, which is used as a highly durable lacquer to make Chinese, Japanese, and Korean lacquerware.
The leaves, seeds, and the resin of the Chinese lacquer tree are sometimes used in Chinese medicine for the treatment of internal parasites and for stopping bleeding. Compounds butein and sulfuretin are antioxidants, and have inhibitory effects on aldose reductase and advanced glycation processes. Buddhist monks who practiced the art of Sokushinbutsu would use the tree's sap in their ceremony. (SOURCE: wikipedia.org)
Genus - Toxicodendron
Species - Vernicifluum
Common name - Chinese Lacquer Tree
Pre-Treatment - Not-required
Hardiness zones - 8 - 10
Height - 50' / 15 m
Spread - 33' / 10 m
Plant type - Shrub or Tree
Vegetation type - Partly deciduous
Exposure - Full Sun
Growth rate - Medium
Soil PH - Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil type - Loam, Sand, Clay, Well Drained
Landscape uses - Ornamental
Germination rate - 90%
Leaf / Flower color - Green, autumn - orange, red / --
Useful Info | |
Germination | 1. Pre-soak the seed for 24 hours in hot water (starting at a temperature of 80 - 90c and allowing it to cool) prior to sowing in order to leach out any germination inhibitors. 2. Sow in spring, sow seed 1/4" deep, keep moist, mulch the seed bed When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. |