Sycopsis sinensis Oliver

Sycopsis sinensis is not a spectacular tree, but it is a neat plant with something of the grace common to so many unrelated evergreens from the forests of south-eastern Asia – most of which are considerably less hardy or accommodating. The rather narrow habit, and the textured leaves with their often sunken veins, can suggest the familiar Mediterranean Viburnum tinus, as does its habit of flowering towards the end of winter. In common with most of its closest allies, its flowers lack petals or showy bracts – or any perfume – and they cluster discreetly among the leaves, but the rather long, yellow stamens make these clusters a little larger and brighter than is true for Parrotia or Distylium.

The species, widespread in the wild, was one of Ernest Wilson’s numerous introductions, reaching Veitch’s nursery in England in 1901 (Bean 1981). In 2023, original plants survived at Kew and at the Cambridge University Botanic Garden; like many of its relatives this is a slow-growing but potentially long-lived tree and the Kew specimen, north-east of King William’s Temple, has several trunks up to 33 cm thick and remains in perfect health, in a sometimes testing microclimate. Another early English planting at Wakehurst Place was 10 m tall in 1997 when it was approaching the end of its life (Tree Register 2023). Sycopsis are equally happy in cooler and more humid summers, reaching 8 m at the Irish National Botanic Garden at Glasnevin and at Arduaine in western Scotland (Tree Register 2023). In the heat of the south-eastern United States it can tolerate full sun, and one massed planting offers an alternative attraction at Disney World in Florida (Dirr 2009). Their tolerance of chalky soils is probably limited.

Sycopsis sinensis has never been a popular tree, and even when it is grown it is quite likely to get overlooked, but it remains available from specialist nurseries in western Europe, North America and New Zealand. Unlike some of its close relatives it does not self-seed in the climate of Cornwall, UK (Burncoose Nurseries 2023) but it can be propagated by means of cuttings from fairly well ripened wood (Bean 1981).

The casual observer is unlikely to realise the close relationship between Sycopsis and Persian Ironwood, Parrotia persica, a decidous wide-spreading tree with a pretty flaking bark and excellent autumn colour, but the two have crossed to produce the horticultural curiosity ×Sycoparrotia semidecidua.