Japanese raisin tree is a deciduous tree from China, Korea, and Japan whose tiny fruits sit on stalks that swell in fall into twisted, sweet nubs that taste like raisins. In the US it's planted as an ornamental shade tree, and it has escaped into the wild in a few states, where it can be invasive. It's also called oriental raisin tree.
Appearance
- Growth form
- A deciduous tree, usually about 30 ft (9 m) tall in cultivation and up to 50 ft (15 m); wild trees can grow taller.
- Leaves
- Alternate, glossy, egg-shaped to elliptical leaves 3–6 in (8–15 cm) long, with toothed edges. They often turn yellow in fall.
- Flowers
- Tiny, fragrant, creamy to greenish-white flowers in clusters that attract bees.
- Flowering time
- Early summer in the US.
- Fruit
- Pea-sized fruits sit on fleshy, swollen reddish stalks that are edible after frost in fall. In cool climates the stalks often fail to ripen.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Moist valleys
- Open secondary forest
- Yards and parks
- Range
- Native to eastern Asia: China, Korea, and Japan. In the US it is planted in gardens and arboreta, invasive in parts of Texas, and naturalizing in North Carolina and Virginia.
- Preferred conditions
- Full sun to light shade in well-drained loamy or sandy soil. In severe winters, young trees can be killed back to the ground.
Growing it
- Care
- Listed for USDA zones 5–10, though hard winters near the cold end of its range have cut trees back to the ground. Trees usually start blooming at 3–4 years old. Fallen fruit stalks can be messy.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- LCLeast ConcernLow risk of extinction
- Status
- Outside Asia it can be invasive: besides Texas, it has spread in southern Brazil, Paraguay, and northern Argentina, where it ranks among the most pervasive invaders of Brazil's subtropical forests.
Culture and stories
- Culture and stories
- In China, Korea, and Japan the tree has long been used in traditional medicine, notably as a hangover remedy.
- The leaves contain hodulcine, a compound that temporarily dulls the ability to taste sweetness.
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