#trochodendron

Plant of the Day

Friday 6 December 2024

The exotic looking evergreen Trochodendron aralioides (wheel tree) is usually a slow-growing shrub in cultivation. It needs a sheltered location and will produce spirally arranged, long-stalked, evergreen leaves up to 12cm long.

 Some of the most beautiful and unique plants around the nursery are the ones that may not be the first ones to come to mind. A great example of an underappreciated tree is the Trochodendron aralioides or “wheel tree”, native to Japan, Taiwan, and Korea. Its name comes from the Greek words “trochus” which means wheel and “dendron” which means tree. The tree was unavailable to Europeans until the mid 1800’s and only then was it given its name as it began to be distributed outside of Asia.

The T. aralioides is a species of the Trochodendron genus, which is monotypic, meaning it is the only living species in its genus. It normally grows from eight feet in height and can range from ten and twenty feet tall at full maturity, rarely growing largely in width. Contrary to its habits in nurseries, it has been recorded that in the wild the Trochodendron has been able to grow up to sixty feet.  It has beautiful inconspicuous green flowers that bloom in May in the Northeast, forming small wheel-like flowers that mix with its evergreen foliage.

The Trochodendron is fortunately a xeric tree, meaning it doesn’t require a lot of watering or care. It prefers to be in a shady spot where it can be protected from winter sun and excess amounts of wind. If you put this very adaptable plant in a relatively shady area with well-drained, slightly acidic soil, you will be rewarded with a unique and beautiful bloom in the spring.