Davidia involucrata (handkerchief tree)

Handkerchief tree is native to central and southern China.

Fruit of Davidia involucrata

Overview: Deciduous tree up to 20 m tall, with bark lifting from the trunk in large flakes.

Leaves: Vivid green and heart-shaped with a fine point at the tip. Young leaves are scented.

Flowers: Borne in compact, roughly spherical, reddish purple flower heads, about 2 cm in diameter. Flower heads are overshadowed by a pair of thin, white bracts, the longest one being up to 30 cm long and about twice the size of the other. The delicate bracts flutter in the breeze giving rise to the common names handkerchief, dove and ghost tree.

Fruits: Hard, dark-green nuts, which turn purple when ripe. Each fruit contains 6–10 seeds.

Seeds germinate erratically, and trees may need 10–20 years to flower.

Portrait of Ernest Wilson by Magnus Irvin

Handkerchief tree was first described by French priest and naturalist Father Armand David on a trip to China in 1868; however, it was not introduced to Britain for another 35 years, and then only after a remarkable sequence of events.

Preserved specimens of Davidia involucrata had been sent to Kew, and nurseryman Henry Veitch expressed an interest in obtaining some seeds from which to grow the tree. In 1899 he commissioned a young Kew-trained botanist called Ernest Wilson to go to China to find the handkerchief tree. This presented a challenge for 22-year-old Wilson, who had never been abroad before and did not speak a word of Chinese.

With only a hand-drawn map and a few written instructions to guide him, Wilson set off into the remote Yunnan region of China in search of the single known existing specimen. On his way, he escaped local bandits, survived a potentially deadly illness and nearly drowned when his boat overturned in a rocky river. When he finally found the location of the tree, Wilson was mortified to discover that it had been cut down and used to build a house. Fortunately, he went on to find other specimens and was able to send seeds back to England in 1901. After spending many years in China, he also found hundreds of other plants and became famous in the process.

The foremost plant collector of his generation, he is commonly referred to by botanists and horticulturalists as EH ‘Chinese’ Wilson.

Find out more about Ernest Wilson in the book Wilson's China: A Century On by Mark Flanagan and Tony Kirkham.

Handkerchief tree is grown as an ornamental in parks and gardens.

The Millennium Seed Bank Partnership aims to save plant life worldwide, focusing on plants under threat and those of most use in the future. Seeds are dried, packaged and stored at a sub-zero temperature in our seed bank vault.

See Kew’s Seed Information Database for further information on Davidia involucrata seeds.

Davidia involucrata at Kew

Handkerchief tree has been propagated from seed at Kew, sometimes using seed collected from Kew’s own mature specimens. Seeds require both warm and cold stratification in order to germinate. At Kew, this is achieved by placing the seed into polythene bags containing sand or perlite. The bags are kept in a warm place for four to six months, followed by storage in a cold place for three months.

Seeds are large with a deeply ridged surface and split into orange-like segments on germination. Several of these segments may then grow into a young plant. Germination success is about 50%.

After germination, seedlings are potted into 13 cm air-pots. Air-pots have bumps and holes in the sides to encourage the roots to grow outwards rather than spiralling. At first, seedlings are placed in an unheated glasshouse before the pots are placed outside and then planted on in the nursery field. After about two years, they are large enough to be planted in the open in their final positions within the Gardens.

Handkerchief tree grows well in the sandy soil at Kew. The young plants exhibit healthy dark red shoots and take about ten years to flower, after which flowers are produced in most years. Handkerchief tree is hardy, but in some years flower buds are damaged by late frost.

Reddish purple flower head overshadowed by a pair of thin, white bracts

Davidia involucrata has been grown at Kew since 1903. Perhaps the best example can be seen growing behind the beech clump, close to the Azalea Garden. Handkerchief trees can also be seen behind the Waterlily House. They are typically in flower in May.

See handkerchief tree on a map of Kew

Dried and alcohol-preserved specimens of Davidia involucrata are held in Kew’s Herbarium, where they are available to researchers by appointment. Details of some of these can be seen online in Kew’s Herbarium Catalogue.

Specimens of fruits and seeds of Davidia involucrata are held in Kew’s Economic Botany Collection, where they are available to researchers by appointment.

Search Kew’s science databases for further information on Davidia involucrata

Rhizotron & Xstrata Treetop Walkway – Davidia involucrata

Kew News: 29 April 2010 – Dove tree in flower

Ernest Wilson (1876-1930)

Find out more about Ernest Wilson in the book Wilson's China: A Century On by Mark Flanagan and Tony Kirkham