Biological and Ecological Characteristics of the Chinese Parasol Tree and Its Seedling Propagation and Afforestation Techniques

Characteristics and Traits

The Chinese parasol tree, also known as qingtong or Chinese wutong (Firmiana simplex (Linn.) W. F. Wight), is a plant in the genus Firmiana of the family Sterculiaceae. It is a deciduous tree, 15-20 m tall, with a diameter at breast height of 70 cm. The trunk is straight, and the bark is green when young and grayish-green and smooth when old. The branchlets are green. The leaves are nearly round, with a leaf blade length of 30 cm and a leaf width of 11-20 cm; the leaves are simple and alternate, with 3-5 palmate deep lobes, and the petiole is as long as the leaf, with a heart-shaped base and the lobe tips gradually acuminate, later becoming smooth, and the petiole covered with brown hairs. The terminal panicle is about 20-40 cm long. The flowers are unisexual, small, and pale green. The seeds are spherical. The flowering period is March to April, and the fruiting period is September to October.

The Chinese parasol tree prefers light, has weak cold tolerance, prefers calcium, and prefers clayey soil; it is deep-rooted and extremely intolerant of waterlogging, and the roots rot easily in overly wet places. It grows rapidly when young.

Cultivation Points

Sowing and Seedling Raising The seeds can be sown as soon as they are collected, or they can be stored until spring sowing the following year. Before spring sowing, stratify the seeds in wet sand or soak them in warm water to promote germination. The 1000-seed weight is 120-150 g, and the germination rate is 85%. After preparing the seedbed, open shallow furrows at a row spacing of 25-30 cm, and drill or spot-sow the seeds in the furrows, with a sowing rate of 10-15 kg/667 sq m. Cover with 1.5 cm of soil, and gradually remove the mulch after sowing. Seeds stored in sand germinate about 30 d after sowing, while dry-stored seeds often have a portion that does not germinate, so they can be soaked in warm water to promote germination. The seedling yield is 15,000-20,000 plants/667 sq m, and 1-year-old seedlings can reach 50-80 cm in height.

Propagation by Tillers The specific method is to dig a trench at the edge of the crown projection to cut the roots, then fill the trench with soil to encourage the growth of root tillers. Strengthen fertilizer and water management. In order to protect the mother tree, too many seedlings cannot be taken in one year, and the root-cutting position also needs to be rotated in direction year by year.

Afforestation Methods Because the crown and root spread are large, the planting density should not be too high when setting the trunk, and the planting density is about 60 plants/667 sq m. For street trees, the planting spacing is 4-5 m.

Suitable Growing Range

There are about 15 species in the genus Firmiana, and China has 3 species. The Chinese parasol tree is widely cultivated in North China, Central China, East China, South China (including Hainan), Southwest China, and other places.

Development Value

Environmental Value The Chinese parasol tree has strong resistance to a variety of toxic gases, and with its deep shade and deep-rooted habit, it is a tree species for windbreaks, soil and water conservation, and water source conservation forests.

Economic Value The wood of the Chinese parasol tree has fine grain and coarse texture, and is suitable for making musical instruments, furniture, and so on. The bark is rich in fiber and can be used as a raw material for papermaking, textiles, and ropes. The leaves can kill @#@261@#@. The seeds can be eaten and pressed for oil, with an oil content of 36.69%, soluble fatty acids 0.37%, protein 3.69%, and crude fiber 3.69%.

Medicinal Value The leaves, flowers, roots, and seeds of the Chinese parasol tree can all be used as medicine. The seeds contain fat, ash, crude fiber, protein, non-nitrogenous substances, caffeine, and so on; sterculic acid is isolated from the oil, and it is used to treat stomachache, abdominal distension, infantile oral sores, unnamed swellings and toxic lesions, and can also treat white hair; the leaves are used to treat hypertension, rheumatic pain, traumatic fractures, asthma, and traumatic bleeding, and other conditions; the flowers are used to treat scalds, tinea capitis, unnamed swellings and toxic lesions, edema, difficult urination, and other conditions; the bark contains crude protein, crude fat, crude fiber, galactan, sugar furfural, octacosanol, lupenone, and so on, and is used to treat rheumatic arthralgia and numbness of the limbs. The roots are used to treat numbness of the limbs, waist and knee pain, weakness and lack of strength, traumatic injuries, amenorrhea, irregular menstruation, menstrual abdominal pain, cough, and various unnamed skin swellings and toxic lesions, and other conditions.

Ornamental Value The bark of the Chinese parasol tree is smooth and grayish-green, with a green trunk and blue-green leaves, an elegant crown shape, and shade like a canopy; it leafs out relatively late and sheds its leaves earliest. There is a famous line:

When one leaf falls from the Chinese parasol tree,

All under heaven knows autumn has come.

Li Bai's poem "With Secretariat Drafter Jia Zhi at Longxing Temple, Cutting Fallen Chinese Parasol Branches and Gazing at Yong Lake":

Cutting the green Chinese parasol branches,

Sitting, one can glimpse Yong Lake.

Rain washes the autumn mountains clean,

Forest light ripples with pale blue-green richness.

The Chinese parasol tree has a round crown, large leaves, and dense shade, and its fruit capsule splits open like petals, making it unusual and beautiful; it is an excellent tree species for urban greening.