Description
Meliosma –
There are about 25 species of evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs in this genus. They occur in forest from India, and Sri Lanka to Japan, and in Mexico, Central America and Tropical South America. They produce alternate leaves that are simple, sometimes pinnate, and mid to dark green. In spring or summer it bears large panicles of tiny, cup and saucer shaped, 5 petalled, fragrant flowers. Grow as specimen plants in a shrub border or woodland garden.
Grow in moderately fertile, moist but well drained, neutral to slightly acidic soil in full sun with some midday shade. Shelter from cold drying winds.
M. pinnata var. oldhamii – M. oldhamii – This stoutly branched, deciduous tree from China and Korea grows 30′ feet tall and 20′ feet wide. When young it is upright later becoming spreading, with pinnate dark green leaves, to 14″ long, with up to 13 broadly ovate to obovate leaflets. In early summer it bears white flowers held in panicles to 12″ long, followed by small, black or dark red fruit, 1/4″ across.
Zones 9-10
