Raintree has been carrying this under the name Fragrant Spring Tree (Toona or Cedrela sinensis). Their web site is being coy about it however (see link below) -- it brings up the name and photo, then claims it couldn't find anything. If you phone their order department, they should be able to tell you whether or not they still have them.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fragrant Spring tree at Raintree Nursery

This may or may not be helpful but I found a place that carries seeds for Toona/Cedrela Sinensis.

http://www.agrohaitai.com/onlinecatelogue.htm

Sounds like a description from Oregon Exotics, whose catalog is wonderful for inspiring daydreams is frustrating. The use of slang or local nicknames coupled with the lack of scientific/Latin names made cross-referencing tough. Of course, its a moot issue.

And, thanks to them, I'm now turned on to Edible Landscaping, One Green World, Raintree, and a host of others.

Thanks for all of your help solving this mystery!

Gardenweb is awesome!!

I did a google search of toona cinensis, and it describes what I'd been looking for.

Agrohaitai does carry seeds-so I've just made a small order and will check this thing out. Thanks for that link! "Chinese Toon" as Agrohaitai refers to this tree, does sound pretty tender in descriptions, at least while it is young. I have a little unheated greenhouse that might help it along-maybe with a heating pad for germination. It is a curiousity for me for now.

After ordering the seeds, I'm feeling the same goofy excitment I felt as a child ordering eggs for "Sea Monkeys" (which turned out to be brine shrimp) This time I won't expect miniature castles being built by little mermaids in a fishbowl! But maybe the seeds will grow and this will be tasty...fun anyway.

I'll let you know how this develops.

Thanks again everyone,
Diana

Diana,

I once did a web-search on Toona sinensis. Most of the hits took the form of forestry-database type entries, and contained no information on the use of the plant as an edible crop.

But I did get a few hits that clearly indicated that the plant is grown extensively in China for the edible leaves and shoots. I recall at least two web-entries that extolled the virtues of the new shoots as a delicacy. And one bit of information I gleaned from the internet was a listing of the edible dooryard trees most commonly grown in Beijing -- jujubes and asian persimmons were on the list, as well as a few others that I don't recall, and Toona sinensis.

I have a small one, really just a sucker that was propagated, and I'm kind of excited to see what it will do. I got it from a horticulture-enthusiast who was originally from southern China -- and she too speaks of the new shoots as a delicious, leek-like green vegetable.

So I think that this is one plant that may be "the real deal" -- a valuable foodstuff grown extensively abroad, but just not known in the western world. I don't think it's in the same territory as "sea monkeys"!

By the way, my understanding is that it is not a tender subtropical, but rather a hardy deciduous tree. If it can grow in Beijing, it must be able to take the cold -- I'm pretty darn sure that Beijing gets *much* colder in the winter than Portland, OR.

RE: Oregon Exotics. I heard Jerome Black, the proprietor of Oregon Exotics, speak about a year and a half ago. He gave a fascinating slideshow on the plants he had seen and gathered in various remote locations. He is, shall we say, quite entrepreneurial and is widely criticized for fanciful plant descriptions in his catalogs, etc. On the other hand, he is a genuine plant explorer who is responsible for introducing certain edible oddities to North America. He gave a great lecture, in any case!

Hi All

I have been to China many times, and have eaten the young leaves of Toona sinensis on many occasions, usually stir-fried with egg or dipped in batter and deep-fried. The leaves usually appear around late March-April so the season is fairly brief, but they are abundant in season and you will see people selling them on the streets in cities all over the north and east of China. Considering this tree survives the bitter winters in northern China, I reckon it should do well in any climate the USA has to offer. I managed to bring a very young (pencil-sized) T. sinensis back to the UK and it it is now 6 years old and over 5 meters tall! We harvest the leaves and eat them every year and still it just grows like a rocket. I will have to prune it soon, as it threatens to completely overshadow most of my neighbour's garden, and furthermore, it is impossible to reach most of the leaves for harvesting, as it has grown so tall. I am hoping that by pruning it back fairly hard, it will encourage more side-shoots with loads of leaves for next spring's harvest. I have a problem with it right now though, and I'm hoping someone here may be able to help:

It has two trunks that are joined at the root. This year, although apparently healthy, all the branches on one trunk have failed to come into leaf whereas the other has been in leaf for a couple of weeks.

There is no obvious sign of disease, although late last autumn (fall) one branch on the now leafless side did start to turn yellow way before the rest of the tree.

Any suggestions?

Regards

Zagger

Zagger,

Your post is full of extremely useful and interesting information -- thanks for sharing!

I can't give you any suggestions on how to deal with your tree other than the obvious: have you nicked the bark on the leafless side of the tree to see if it is still green and living underneath? If it is, take a wait-and-see posture. If it looks dead across that whole side of the tree, you'll have to remove that trunk.

My (very) small plant put out leaves at the tip some months ago, but then died back nearly to the ground for some unknown reason. I feared that it was finished, but I've just noticed several new shoots coming up from the base of the plant.

I think that this at least shows that the species is fairly resilient, so I don't think that you should have too many fears for your tree.

If you have concerns that there might be something going very wrong at the roots of the plant, I would suggest air-laying (murcotting) a piece and perhaps keeping it in a pot. That way you would have a replacement if your original plant should fail completely.

There is a "Trees" forum on Gardenweb, and the folks there might have better insights than I do.

How would you describe the taste/texture of the leaves and shoots, and how do you prepare them yourself?

I just noticed these in the 2003 Raintree catalog. I suppose they may still have them, but they are expensive, $32.50 at least in 2003. Has anyone tried growing them from seed who has a report on how easy it is and how fast they grow?

I ordered this tree from Raintree about five years ago. The plant is thriving in my zone 5 location in moist soil in slight shade. I find the taste of the plant horrid. I keep trying to find family members and visitors to my yard who might like it. No one likes it at all. Perhaps Raintree sold me a bad tasting strain. I have tried the leaves at all stages of growth and they still taste yucky. Perhaps Raintree propagated a bad tasting strain?

Cheers!

Hi.... it is a common garden tree in New Zealand.......and a bit of a curse too!... it suckers like crazy and you end up with a forest very quickly!!.... I have never eaten the leaves or shoots altho' I know the Chinese do.........frankly I find the smell of it pretty disgusting........but, it certainly IS an attractive tree, in the Spring especially, with it's beautiful pink foliage.

Chervil,

I'm sorry to hear of your discouraging results. As you suggest, it may well be that Raintree propagated an inferior clone. On the other hand, it may just be a matter of individual taste and preference. Of course, if you've offered the leaves and shoots to many visitors, and none cared for them, that does offer evidence stemming from more than the particular palates of you and your immediate family!

There must be improved clones/cultivars in China, but getting those plants out of China may not be easy. One person I know, with an interest in exporting germplasm from China, told me that the government there is wary of allowing plant material to be sent abroad. Her comments were specifically made in reference to the "Wampi" (Clausenia) plant, but I wouldn't be surprised if the same held true with the Toona. I'm sure they want to control and profit from trade in improved plant varieties.

I wonder if "Zagger" from the U.K. (who posted above that he/she brought a plant out from China, grew it up, and now regularly eats the leaves) has some sort of superior Chinese cultivar (rather than a random seedling).

Oh, and Teeli from N.Z. -- if you have ready access to Toona thickets, you should try cooking some shoots up, "treat" a group of friends and/or enemies to a taste test, and then post the results here! It should be high spring in your part of the world; exactly the right time of the year for the excercise.

Chervil doesn't say if the leaves were sampled raw or cooked, or how they were prepared. Dipping in batter and frying might make them taste different.

There is nothing that can be done to make these leaves appetizing! Raw or cooked they are disgusting! I would not waste time seasoning something that is horrible to begin with since the flavor can not be disguised.

Cheers!

Speaking of Raintree... I love their catalogue. I think their service is excellent. Prices OK. I have some Kiowa blackberries they sent and love them. But! I have five oriental pears. Three Shinseiki variety. One from a local supplier, one from Stark Bros. and one from Raintree. All my pears taste super sweet EXCEPT the one from Raintree. No matter what I do, water, fertilizer, etc, its fruit taste like cardboard compared to the others. Just one tree, one variety. But, I expected a place that purports to grow and samle their own plants to be amongst the best, not the worst, tasting cultivars.

I've been wanting to "gripe" about that for three years. I feel better now. :)

There two different trees that look very similar,
most people cannot see the difference. But, one smells
disgusting. We suppose the professionals should not
make mistake at this, but personally, I doubt.

I have purchased a "Fragrant Spring Tree" from the Raintree Nursery and have been quite satisfied so far. It's a very pretty tree, quite symmetrical, and grows very quickly. I've only had it in the ground for 2 years and it's already about 12 feet tall, it was delivered at a 18" height. The trunk at it's thickest right now is about 1.5-2 inches. It will sway quite well in the wind. How it grows is also interesting, as right now it's just a stick growing straight up. However, it is currently budding out new trunk branches at the top of where last year's branches had attached to the trunk, and also budding new branches at the top. By the way, a description of "trunk branch" is a branch on which other branches grow on- but not leaves, and it does not drop off in late fall/winter. First the leaves fall, then the branches the leaves are growing on. However, those branches are willowy, and don't seem to reach more than a 3 foot length at best. I don't know for sure yet, but I think it will be an excellent shade tree, for that dappled shade effect. The edible portion of the plant is only the new leaves, identifiable by their red color and partly unfurled look. The taste is not unpleasant, I can't identify the flavor exactly, but it definately makes you think of adding it to a stir fry, as it does have a hint of onion- not the sharp part of the flavor, and maybe some of the other mild spices and herbs. Raw, it's not a snack bush. Like putting a coffee bean in your mouth, that's what you should do with this. I haven't tried it cooked yet, probably will this year. I believe the Raintree description said the tree can grow to about 40 feet, so like I said, a good deciduous shade tree. Another edible plant in the landscape was also provided by Raintree, but does not seem available right now. It's a honeysuckle, and I'm sorry, I don't remember the name, and it produces clusters of berries that are bright red in color, and tastes almost exactly like pomegranate. The fruit is anywhere from about 1/4 inch to 3/8 inch diameter, and it blooms profusely. Excellent scent as well, with pretty leaf coloration. The flowers look very similar to the Gold Flame honeysuckle. Another honeysuckle is the Himalayan honeysuckle, also from Raintree, and it looks very similar to bamboo in growth, with bitter chocolate flavored berries, presented like tassels at the end of branches, don't recommend the fruit, but it's a very pretty one.

I haven't seen the tree available lately, but when I do I might buy one. Sounds very interesting.

I see forestfarm and also, raintree nurseries is offering it again.
I'm buying seed of it from f.w. schumacher listed under cedrela sinensis.

http://www.forestfarm.com/search/closeup.asp?PlantID=cesi090
http://www.raintreenursery.com/catalog/productdetails.cfm?ProductID=D178

Now my little story. I have some friends (chinese) that have a toona in their yard. They told me that their "chinese family" (which is the entire local community of chinese) share this tree with each other. I am waiting for a sucker, and if it does not produce any, I will probably try to propogate it by layering. I did have some of last springs leaves, and thought they were very nice with eggs, on a walk through the yard, I plucked a couple of new red leaves and popped 'em in my mouth. Then I popped them right back out!
Very nice cooked,,,but raw,,,not so good.

scot

It's been almost a year, and my tree has doubled in height to about 20 ft from the post I placed last year. It's growing as predicted, with new trunks growing out of the old one, and the trunk is now about 3.5-4 inches in diameter, still smooth barked, and still very flexible. We've had high winds recently and it just sways in the breeze. Still a very beautiful tree when it's got it's leaves. Appears to be very strong as well.

I cut mine down this fall. I am happy I do not have it anymore.

Chervil2

Just received my seed in the mail today and will update this thread with my opinion this fall after 1 growing season.

plants are coming up after about a week.

I have a toona sinesis I purchased about 4 years ago. It is about 25 feet tall and seems to grow very rapidly with a base of about 6". It never has made any pink leaves or flowers which it was supposed to. The leaves when crushed are very similiar in smell to green onions or leaks. They are only good when very tender in the spring. the tree has suckered often and the suckers grow fast as well. Its an attractive tree so I will keep it. Since mine has not bloomed I do not have fruit. Is it edible? That was not one of the things said about it.

"""Since mine has not bloomed I do not have fruit. Is it edible? That was not one of the things said about it."""

Fruit is woody capsule, so nothing edible there. Only the leaves are used for food. Thanks for sharing your experience. -- You should take a picture sometime and post it.

I'm a Chinese from Beijing. My in-laws has a toona tree in their yard, so I ate a lot during Spring!
There are two different kinds of toona trees in China. One smells good and edible, and the other one smells bad and not edible. They looks very similar.

I guess what Chervil got is the bad one. :)

About how to cook it: get young leaves, clean them and chop to small pieces, stir with eggs, then fry with some cooking oil. It smells special and delicious!

Liuxinx,

Thanks for your thoughts! Please come back and share more information from your great country!

I hope my Toona plant turns out to be the good kind ... so far, I haven't gotten enough leaves to try cooking with. The plant has grown into a tall stick about ten feet high, with no side branches and a small crown of leaves at the top. I've been afraid to cut off any leaves for consumption, as the tree has so few of them. I hope that it will start to grow some lateral branches before too long.

Chinese Toona can be eaten raw too. You just can't eat it fresh. You'll have to rub some salt into it and let it stand for a couple of hours. Then rinse it (or soak it in water if it's too salty). Now you can eat it like a salad. I like to eat it that way as a snack. :)

I've never grown it before but I read it can also be grown in a pot. In northern climates, the pot needs to be wintered inside. I am going to order a plant and plant it in a pot. This way I can carry it with me when I move in future. :) Really miss the taste.

The Raintree picture looks very much like Ailanthus altissima (Tree of Heaven), which grows EVERYWHERE around here. Ailanthus is a nice looking tree, but very invasive and does smell bad.

I wonder if it's possible to get the two mixed up...is there much that clearly distinguishes Toona from Ailanthus?

Raintree's Toona Pic: {{gwi:662503}}

Ailanthus Pic: {{gwi:662506}}

Yes, they have similiar leave structure, but so does sumac or walnut for that matter. I have planted both toona seed and ailanthus seed, and notice that the toona germinates more readily. So it has potential to be invasive. But the toona has more virtues than ailanthus. The wood is valuable, the flowers are said to be fragrant, and leaves are edible. By the sound of it, it will grow in infertile and droughty soil like the ailanthus.

Could the Toona be a cultivated variety of the Tree of Heaven?

It seems to share quite a few of the same characteristics.

How bout you have both of them at hand before you draw conclusions. I guess possums are kangaroos since they share characteristics, according to your logic.

Also, the toona leaves don't have a obnoxious smell when you touch them compared to the ailanthus.

lkz5ia
How's your Toona sinensis doing in zone 5.
I just ordered one.
Thanks.
Ben
Beach Park, IL, z5

I keep growing some every year from seeds, and they seem to have too much dieback in zone 5 for me. Though 2 of the past winters have hit -20F, so that doesn't help.

But I hope one of the seedlings will be hardier for me. Alot of the seedlings already have died from the cold, so indeed, what is left is somewhat hardier than all of the seedlings that came up originally. I don't know if it will be tree-like here, or more bush-like with the topkill.

In Dirr's tree book, its says its known to have taken -25 without damage, yet he also mentions at the Morton Arboretum south of you, the Toona has frequent dieback.

I bought seeds from Richter's Herbs, and the little seedlings are doing great in their flat, although they do look disturbingly like ailanthus. I was planning to just eat the seedlings this year, but I might let a few try to overwinter here in zone 5, in which case I should pick a good spot for them. How much shade can they take?

There's also an ornamental variety called 'Flamingo' with pink spring leaves, but I haven't heard that it's tasty.

Here is a link that might be useful: Toona sinensis at Richter's

Since you are planning to eat the seedlings, have you actually ate toona leaves before? If so, and you like them, I doubt they would grow enough for you to use them enough this year. YOu need to grow it as a perennial. I hate the flavor of the leaves, it makes me gag. I've only tried them raw, so maybe cooking them would lesson their impact. But its like eating something out of the allium family, but tastes burnt. ehhh. I just want to grow it as a cool ornamental tree.
{{gwi:662509}}

I live in Canada. I found some of bushes resemble Chinese toona. but I am not sure it is. so I took some home to make them some dishes. the taste is quite very different from what I remembered in my early age experience.

You shouldn't eat something that you haven't made a positive i.d. on.

Hi guys,

I positively found chinese toona tree when I trip to waterloo,Ontario, Canada. It has good taste but not as delicious as I remember in my early age. this is first time I saw it. I found that it is no armotic scene when you smell the fresh leaves.

I will try to upload some pictures to share with your guys.

I realized that I found no Chinese toona tree.

I found similar toona trees either taste bitter or no taste

this is what I found. it is look like the following Ailanthus flowers
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51329009@N06/4715587811/

found Ailanthus altissima - tree of heaven on the internet
http://www.about-garden.com/a/en/3891-ailanthus-altissima-tree-of-heaven/

Probably shouldn't be munching on Ailanthus, since its considered poisonous.

thank you, lkz5ia z5 for replying my post

could anyone who has experience with Chinese toona tell me
if mature leaves also have as tastes as tender leaves?

I found no luck but pretty sure it is Chinese toona. but when I brought it home, most are mature leaves, I found no taste on the leaves after I use salt to prepare them.

To zilda,

Harvest chinese toon when it's tender at spring time.
Matured chinese tong leaves taste no good.

chaff

Here is a link that might be useful: where to buy chinese toon

I have been growing a fragrant spring tree (Toona sinensis) for five years in well-drained but very poor soil and it is one of the fastest-growing trees I have. It would make a great shade tree, so I hate to cut it, but doing so makes a suckering bush better suited to using it as a vegetable. In addition, regularly cutting it back makes it produce fresh leaves longer into the Summer. I love the oniony/musky taste of the leaves and so do many of my visitors. It is great in salads or cooked and is like jerky when dried. However, since it reminds me of durian (another Chinese favorite), I would not be surprised if there are both people who love it and hate it. The mature leaves have a similar taste but are too tough to be enjoyable.

It is related to neem, so probably has few pest problems, and is not related to Ailanthis (tree of heaven).

Have had a toona for 10 years in zone 5. Mine tastes good with the tender new leaves. Cannot remember from which nursery it came. First couple of years it died back during winter but has survived and grown to about 20 feet despite winter temps as low as -17f.
I just mow around the grove to contain it as it is an attractive plant. It is always the last plant in the yard to lose its leaves in the fall.
I have shared the leaves with a number of gardening friends. You either like it or you don't.

I have two toona's growing, one actually is a root cutting from the other. Here's how it went for me.

I bought a toona and planted it in my front yard, but I was quite busy and lost track of it. One day I remembered it, realized I hadn't been watering it ("Woops!....GULP!"), so I went to check on it: dead as road kill. I dug it up and was going to toss it in the woods, but instead I just stuffed it into a flower box I'd made. It was around October or so.

I left it there all winter (zone 5, Kansas), and late May the next spring I noticed it had come back! When I went to dig it up, the root system was pretty deep, and I didn't quite get all of it. I proceeded to plant it in my front yard, where it's doing quite well today.

In any event, a few months after I'd dug it up, I happened to notice a new sprout coming up from whence I moved it. Sure enough, it was a toona sprout, and it's still growing there today. It doesn't get a lot of sun in that particular spot, but it's a hardy tree and it's survived several winters, so I suppose it's there to stay.

The tree in my front yard is growing juxtaposed to a Paulownia tomentosa (aka, "Empress Tree"), neither of which is particularly common here in Kansas. I've got a jujube (Zizphus jujuba) and several Asian pears growing out front, all of which generate a lot of questions from passers by. When the Paulownia was first sprouting (about 15 foot from the ground up in one summer), my neighbor wanted to know if it was a tomato or Hostas, and what kind of fertilizer I was using to get it to grow like that! 8-)

"I cut mine down this fall. I am happy I do not have it anymore."

"There are two different kinds of toona trees in China. One smells
good and edible, and the other one smells bad and not edible. They looks
very similar.

I guess what Chervil got is the bad one. :)"

Are there really 2 different varieties? What would be their Latin names, then? Because the only leaves I've tried raw did taste good like leeks, and as a bonus - they also fight cancer, too!