What is the difference between the Radermachera hainanensis and the Radermachera sinica? A quick guide to tell them apart
The two plants Shuashuai is bringing you today both carry very good symbolic meanings. They are the Radermachera hainanensis and the Radermachera sinica. Some people may not know much about these two plants, and they are easy to confuse by appearance, because the two plants look very similar. If you are not an old hand at this, it is probably hard to tell them apart. So today Shuashuai will teach you a few little tricks for distinguishing the two!
1. Radermachera hainanensis
The Radermachera hainanensis and the Radermachera sinica are like relatives, belonging to the same family and genus. We also know that names are all given by people, and these are not their original names. In fact, the original name of the Radermachera hainanensis is Hainan bean tree. Its height is between 20 and 25 m. The bark of the Radermachera hainanensis is light gray. Its leaves are not very short, with a length of about 4 to 10 cm, and the leaf veins are net-like. The Radermachera hainanensis takes a very long time to prepare for its flowering period, generally as long as seven or eight years to prepare to bloom. Scary, right? Not only that, it also takes a very long time to bear fruit. The fruiting time is twice the flowering time, about fifteen years later. I think older people should not grow it. It is probably a bit hard to see the day it blooms and fruits.
The Radermachera hainanensis very much likes to grow in a sunny environment, and its growth rate is fast, its survival ability is strong, and its regeneration ability is very strong. The flower colors include pale yellow and white-green. Most people buy the pale yellow ones. I do not know why. I guess even if you buy one, it is hard to see the day it blooms. Friends living in the dry and cold areas of the north are advised not to grow this flower, because the Radermachera hainanensis is not suited to that kind of growing environment. So if it is cultivated slightly improperly, many, many problems will appear, and the survival rate is not high either, and it is very easy for it to catch pests and diseases.
2. Radermachera sinica
The bark of the Radermachera sinica is also light gray. The length of its leaves is somewhat shorter than that of the Radermachera hainanensis, and its height is not as tall either, only about 15 m. Its corolla has two colors. One of them is the same as that of the Radermachera hainanensis, pale yellow, and the other is pure white. Besides that, its flowering period is also very long, only not as long as that of the Radermachera hainanensis, whose flowering time is counted in years. The Radermachera sinica blooms for most of the year, with its flowering period between May and September, while October and December are when it bears fruit. It likes high temperatures and places with plenty of sunlight, and its cold resistance is very low.
The above are the differences between the Radermachera hainanensis and the Radermachera sinica. If you do not know much about the specific characteristics of these two plants, you can simply look at their appearance. First, we can start with the leaves. Through the leaves, we should be able to identify them at a glance. The leaf margins of the Radermachera sinica are smooth, while the Radermachera hainanensis is different, as it has serrations. If you still cannot tell them apart this way, then you can judge based on the characteristics of the two plants.