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Davidia involucrata                Nyssaceae or Davidiaceae

Dove Tree, Handkerchief Tree               da-VID-ee-a in-vol-u-KRA-ta

• Broadleaf deciduous tree, 20-40 ft (6-12 m), pyramidal.  Leaves alternate, simple, broad-ovate leaf (5-14 cm long), margin has acuminate teeth, sometimes nearly entire.  Flowers are on a 2 cm sphere on the end of a 7.5 cm peduncle which is subtended by two white bracts (the "dove") of unequal size (about 10 and 18 cm long).   The fruit is ovoid, about 4 cm long, greenish at first, then russeted.
• Sun to part shade (esp. afternoon), well-drained rich soil; protect from wind.  May take a decade or more to reach flowering size.
• Hardy to USDA Zone 6      Native to western China.
• involucrata: circle or collection of bracts
• Discovered by the French missionary Armand David in 1896 (hence Davidia) and introduced in 1904 by Ernest Wilson.
• Corvallis: Central Park, north central area
• Oregon State Univ. campus: southwest corner of the Memorial Union Quad; west side of Gilbert Hall