Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Bignoniaceae
Genus: Radermachera
Species: R. sinica
Binomial name: Radermachera sinica
Synonym: Stereospermum sinicum
Common names: Canton Lace, China Doll, Serpent Tree, Emerald Tree, Asian Bell Tree, Bean Tree or Mountain Bean, Chinaberry Catalpa
Radermachera sinica is a fast growing evergreen tree, native to the subtropical mountain regions of southern China and Taiwan. It can reach heights of up to 30 m tall and can have a trunk diameter of 1 m. In cultivation in frost free climates, this tree usually grows to a much smaller 10 m tall.
The leaves are bipinnate, 20 to 70 cm long and 15 to 25 cm broad, divided into numerous small glossy green leaflets 2 to 4 cm long.
The long trumpet-shaped, fragrant, crinkly petaled, white or yellow flowers (7 cm long) bloom in panicles at the leaf axils or branch ends in spring and summer. These develop into into long slender, bean like, seed capsules up to 30cm in length.
The leaves underside.
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The long bean like seed pods.
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A ripe bean
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A pod split open to show the layers of 10 mm long seeds.seeds.
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The small light weight seeds have transparent wings.
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The trunk
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