Chinese wingnut, Pterocarya stenoptera

Very beautiful rustic ornamental tree in zone 4b.

Medium-sized tree reaching a little over 20 meters in optimal conditions. It has a fairly rounded and wide shape, originating from South East China and belonging to the Juglandaceae family. This tree does not produce edible nuts despite its belonging to the walnut and hickory family. The fruits of the pterocarya, small green nuts surrounded by two semi-circular wings and grouped in spikes approximately 40 to 50 cm long, appear in summer and this gives it a charming appearance. Its leaves, 15 to 30 cm long, have a cylindrical midrib. Imperpinnate, they are composed of around twenty oblong oval leaflets, lustrous dark green in color. They turn yellow in autumn and fall late. This ornamental tree likes deep, rich, cool soils and performs wonderfully well in urban environments. It is rather rare to encounter it on a flower bed or in a park, or even never seen except in botanical gardens or arboretums. The flowers are green and insignificant, they are unisexual catkins which appear in spring, at the same time as the leaves burst.