Chinese Flame Tree

Follow a regular watering schedule during the first growing season to establish a deep, extensive root system. Watering can be reduced after establishment. Feed with a general purpose fertilizer before new growth begins in spring. Pruning time: winter.

This is a highly recommended shade tree for its tidy habit and well-behaved root system. Its deep, non-invasive roots make it an approved street tree in many cities. Plant in narrow parkways and near patios. A good tree to plant under.

Try grouping this tree with others of interesting color and texture in warmer winter climates. Great matches are Golden Deodar Cedar (Cedrus deodara 'Aurea') and Krauter's Vesivius Purple Leaf Plum (Prunus cerasifera 'Krauter's Vesuvius'). Plant with large evergreen shrubs that also bear unique coloring such as Shiny Xylosma (Xylosma congestum), Fraser's Photinia (Photinia x fraseri) and Pink Abelia (Abelia x 'Edward Goucher').

This tree is native to China but also extensively naturalized in Japan. It's discovery is credited to Jesuit missionary , Pierre d'Incarville, who collected the first seed in China and sent it was with a Russian caravan in 1747. Naturally it was classified by the Russian botanist Erich Laxmann who named it for a contemporary, Joseph Koelreuter, a professor of natural history at Karlsrube. From there plants were sent to Jardin des Plantes and by 1753 were grown elsewhere in Europe, but was not established in America until 1811.