Tree Flowers: August 2017: Handkerchief Tree

A quick note before I delve into this post: This is a continuation of last year's 'Tree Flowers' series. I have ME, which is a fluctuating condition. This means that I have periods of very low activity due to pain, fatigue, and a bunch of other pointless symptoms that ruin my day. Unfortunately I wasn't able to finish the 2016 series in one go, but I'm hoping that I can continue it here. The previous Tree Flowers post was July 2016: Vine-Leaved Full Moon Maple, which can be read here.

 

The handkerchief tree, or dove tree, is the only member of the Davidia genus and has the specific epithet of involucrata. Looking in my RHS Latin for Gardener's book, I find that this roughly means "bracts surrounding several flowers". This is exactly how the flowers are displayed on the tree, which tends to be April - May in the UK.

The actual flowers resemble a ball and the whole cluster is small compared to the unequally-sized bracts that hang around them.

With the bracts being so large, the tree, while fully hardy, does need protection from the wind. I've seen plenty of these structures on the ground well before their use-by date - which is how I came to have the one above, which allowed me to take close up photographs in the comfort of home.

The bracts start life green, then over time become the showy white structures that we enjoy seeing. The bracts can take a while to achieve their full size, the longest of the pair can become around 20cm in length.

I do not know of any use for the tree other than the showing of the handkerchiefs. If growing this species, it's worth knowing that it can take up to 20 years to reach maturity and flower. This will depend on growing condition and the climate the individual is grown in.

In one of my favourite gardens to visit, The Courts, Wiltshire, the handkerchief tree is somewhat protected by a large hedge. But I've never seen it put on a fantastic display of handkerchiefs and thought a few flowers dotted around may be the norm. Then, this year (2017), I saw a tree with an amazing display - this is the photo below. I now think that it's possible that the hedge is too close as it's seems the handkerchief tree doesn't like competition.

Resources:
More, David, and John White. Illustrated Trees of Britain and Northern Europe. London, UK: A&C Black, 2012.

Harrison, Lorraine, and The Royal Horticultural Society. RHS Latin for Gardeners: Over 3,000 plant names explained and explored. London: Mitchell Beazley, 2012.

 BRICKELL, CHRISTOPHER. THE RHS ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PLANTS AND FLOWERS, 2011.