Not the plant you're looking for? Search over 300,000 plants

Trees

Tetracentron sinense

spur leaf

A graceful, spreading deciduous tree, in Britain probably not taller than 12m, sometimes grown as a large shrub. Leaves are ovate or heart-shaped, sharply pointed, to 10.5cm long and red-tinted when young. Flowers are tiny and yellowish, borne in dense, pendent, slender, catkin-like spikes to 15cm long, which hang from leafy branches in summer

Synonyms

Tetracentron sinense var. himalense

Save to My plants

Buy this plant

Plant nurseries
5 suppliers

Ultimate height

8–12 metres

Time to ultimate height

10–20 years

Ultimate spread

Wider than 8 metres

Chalk

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun
Partial shade

Aspect

South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Trochodendraceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Bushy
Genus: Tetracentron is a monotypic genus in the Trochodendraceae family
Name status: Correct
Plant range: Himalaya, W China

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in well-drained soil in sun or partial shade with shelter from cold drying winds

Propagation

Propagate by seed in autumn or propagate by semi-ripe cuttings with bottom heat in summer

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Mediterranean climate plants
Architectural
Coastal
Low Maintenance
Wall side borders

Pruning

Pruning group 1

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

Generally disease-free

Love gardening

View our Privacy Policy

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.