Handkerchief tree

Davidia involucrata

The handkerchief tree with its heart-shaped leaves is also known as the dove tree or ghost tree. In the spring creamy white bracts, folded round reddish flowers, flutter in long rows along the branches.

This ancient tree species is known from fossil records millions of years old. As the population in China has grown, the tree’s natural habitat has gradually been destroyed and it is now an endangered species. In recognition of this, the Chinese government has named it a protected plant.

The tree takes its scientific name from Father Armand David, a Franciscan missionary and naturalist based in China. He first described the tree in 1869 and introduced it to Europe.