Go to Gardenweb home page... in the search box, type
Firmiana simplex Chinese parasoltree; chinese parasol tree

There are pictures there and definitions.

I live in Olive Branch (extreme NW corner of MS). I have them. They grow relatively quickly. I have one that is three years old and it is about 10' tall. It had flowers and seeds this year, for the first time. The roots grow very deeply, so if you ever have to transplant one, do it before it's very old (like in it's first year of growth).

It does self-seed, and you can plant it in full sun.

Good luck!!

Thank you very much !!!

About the Alocasia--there's lots of 'em. Some prefer sun and some want at least some shade. Some are large and some can be dainty little edgers. Some are more hardy than others. You can go to the Aroid forum here on GW and check pictures, and there's lots of information there about hardiness and sun/shade, and about places to go to find pictures to help identify yours. You might want to put 'alocasia' in the search at that site to get out of going through a lot of not so relevant material, but watch out! At least to me it's fascinating, and I've learned more in the last year and a half from that site that I had learned in I guess twenty years or more before that of being pretty interested, and even buying a book just about aroids.