Radermachera sinica.
Commonly known as China doll it has been sold as a 1 to 3 m high, often potted, plant.
Grown outside it is often around 5 to 10 m high but can grow to 30 m.
An evergreen tree with dense, shiny, dark green leaves.
The bark is pale brown to grey.
The opposite bipinnate or tripinnate leaves have an odd terminal leaflet.
Leaves are up to 60 or 70 cm long and 25 cm wide.
Leaflets are on stalks to 5 mm long on the lateral leaflets and 1 cm on the terminal one.
Ovate to elliptic leaflets are up to 7 cm long by 3 or 4 cm wide.
The tips are tapering or pointed.
Inflorescences, about 30 cm long, are terminal or in the near terminal axils.
There are linear or leaf-like bracts and bracteoles a few cms long.
Erect trumpet-shaped flowers can be up to 16 cm long.
The pale yellow-green, bell-shaped calyx with 5 pointed lobes is up to 3.5 cm long.
The funnel-shaped corolla, white with a pale yellow throat, is up to around 10 cm long.
The 5 rounded or irregular, spreading, wavy lobes are 2 to 3 cm long.
There are 4 fertile stamens in 2 unequal pairs and a staminode.
The superior ovary has a single, long style with a 2-lobed stigma.
The fruit are twisted, 2-chambered capsules 30 to 80 cm long and 1 cm wide.
They hang in large clusters on the tree for months.
The seeds are up to 5 cm long including the wings.
J.F.
