Pterocarya stenoptera 'FERN LEAF'

Pterocarya stenoptera
Pterocarya stenoptera 'FERN LEAF'
Chinese wing nut
SIZE/TYPE medium-sized tree
USUAL HEIGHT 2-15m
USUAL WIDTH 2-10m
LEAVES deciduous broadleaf
COLOUR OF LEAVES green
FLOWERS less showy but noticeable
COLOUR OF FLOWERS light green
BLOOMING TIME July - August
LOCATION full sun
USDA zone (lowest) 5b   (down to -27°C)
WINTER PROTECTION  
FOR ZONE 5+6 Code of winter protection zone 5+6
FOR ZONE 7 Code of winter protection zone 7
BELONGS TO CATEGORIES Deciduous broadleaf
Rarities
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Chinese wing nut is a native plant of China while this variety was found among many other seedlings probably in the UK. It is still quite rare and I fell in love with it the very first moment I saw it. Why? Because it is beautiful and different.

Can you recall animated movies and pictures showing the prehistoric times when the Earth was a domain of dinosaurs and other mega-sized creatures as well as plants with extremely large leaves where most of them were fern-like fronds? This wing nut looks like stolen from these creatures’ cratch. As the name Fern Leaf suggests its deciduous leaves are typically fern-like, delicately lobed, commonly 30-40 cm long, rich green changing to yellow in autumn. Adult plants bear winged fruit in mid-summer. They are produced in 30-50 cm long, pendent spikes of bright lime green colour, however, I have not seen this variety bloom yet.

It is a fast growing tree which is excellent if you want to use it as a feature in Avatar’s garden or when creating a tropical rain forest look in your garden. There are two options both of which will result in extremely large foliage. First is hard pruning that is used for plants like butterfly bush or other plants that flower on new wood in summer. Reduce the size of last year’s growth by 70-80% in early spring before the buds begin to swell. Secondly, you can use pollarding for tree-forms. When you have grown a nice trunk with a young crown do the same type of hard pruning to the branches of the crown but leave only very little: 5-10 cm only. The plants will create a dense crown with spectacular foliage. Worth trying, trust me. Left to its own devices this plant can grow well over 15 m tall.

It is quite soil adaptable. It does best in deep, fertile, moist soil and tolerates partly wet sites or compacted soil once established. It has plenty of strong surface roots which may be a problem for sidewalks, curbs, and sideways so allow at least 5m distance from any concrete. Fully hardy to -27°C (USDA zone 5b).

Last update 06-12-2010.
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NOT IN STOCK? WHY NOT TO TRY A SIMILAR ONE:
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GLOSSARY
  • STANDARD QUALITY - Plants of this group are 1st class quality with number of branches and overall density adequate to their size and age, considering they were container grown.
  • DE LUXE QUALITY - This label guarantees a luxurious quality of manually selected plants that, compared to their height and age, are exceptionally dense and beautiful.
  • EXTRA - These plants are usually mature and bigger specimens with exceptional overall appearance.
  • STANDARD (as described in the plant form) means a tree with a trunk of 190-210 cm and a crown at the top, unless specified differently. The commercial size for trees is their girth measured in the height of 1m from ground.
  • HOBBY - These plants are of the same quality as our standard-quality plants but younger and therefore cheaper.
  • SHRUB - a woody plant with branches growing bushy from the ground level.
  • HALF-STANDARD or MINI-STANDARD - a small tree with shorter trunk, its size is usually specified.
  • FEATHERED - These are trees with branches growing already from the base of the trunk and up along the stem.
  • GRASSES and PERENNIALS - Sizes given usually read the diameter of the pot or the clump, as specified.
LARGE PLANTS over 150 cmspecimens, screening and hedging shrubs

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