Princess Tree

Last week I posted a blog trying to identify what type of tree was growing on my property. As it turns out, thanks to some help of my fellow neighbors on the mountain, it's called a PRINCESS TREE.

ECOLOGICAL THREAT: Princess tree is an aggressive ornamental tree that grows rapidly in disturbed natural areas, including forests, streambanks, and steep rocky slopes.

DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES: Princess tree is found in 25 states in the eastern U.S., from Maine to Texas.

HABITAT IN THE UNITED STATES: Princess tree can be found along roadsides, streambanks, and forest edges. It tolerates infertile and acid soils and drought conditions. It easily adapts to disturbed habitats, including previously burned areas, forests defoliated by pests (such as the gypsy moth) and landslides and can colonize rocky cliffs and scoured riparian zones where it may compete with rare plants in these marginal habitats. Its ability to sprout prolifically from adventitious buds on stems and roots allows it to survive fire, cutting, and even bulldozing in construction areas.

BACKGROUND: Princess tree was introduced into the U.S. as an ornamental and landscape tree around 1840. It was first imported to Europe in the 1830's by the Dutch East India Company and brought to North America a few years later. This tree has since become naturalized in the eastern U.S. and is also grown on the west coast. Princess tree is native to western and central China where historical records describe its medicinal, ornamental, and timber uses as early as the third century B.C. It was cultivated centuries ago in Japan where it is valued in many traditions. Recently it has also been grown in plantations and harvested for export to Japan where its wood is highly valued.

BIOLOGY & SPREAD: Princess tree can reproduce from seed or from root sprouts; the latter can grow more than 15 feet in a single season. The root branches are shallow and horizontal without a strong taproot. Seed-forming pollen is fully developed before the onset of winter and the insect-pollinated flowers open in spring. A single tree is capable of producing an estimated twenty million seeds that are easily transported long distances by wind and water and may germinate shortly after reaching suitable soil. Seedlings grow quickly and flower in 8-10 years. Mature trees are often structurally unsound and rarely live more than 70 years.

SUGGESTED ALTERNATIVE PLANTS: Many native shrubs and trees make excellent alternatives to Princess tree. Examples include serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis and A. arborea), redbud (Cercis canadensis), flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), American holly (Ilex opaca), red mulberry (Morus rubra), spicebush (Lindera benzoin), and sassafras (Sassafras albidum). Contact the native plant society in your state for additional recommendations and for information on local sources of native plants.