Mallotus is a fast-growing tree from East Asia whose new shoots are bright red and whose big leaves sit on long reddish stalks. Its large leaves were once used to wrap food, which is why it's sometimes called the food wrapper plant. It doesn't grow wild in the US.
Appearance
- Growth form
- A deciduous tree up to about 33 ft (10 m) tall in its native range. In gardens in Britain it often stays a shrub of around 10–12 ft (3–3.7 m).
- Leaves
- Large and egg-shaped with a long, slender tip, often around 8 in (20 cm) long and up to about 10 in (25 cm). They look a little like catalpa leaves. Young leaves are downy but soon turn smooth, and they turn yellow in fall.
- Flowers
- Male and female flowers grow on separate trees. Tiny flowers crowd into upright, cone-shaped clusters 3–6 in (8–15 cm) tall in early summer. Male flowers show many yellow stamens.
- Flowering time
- June–July (in Japan)
- Fruit
- Small round capsules about 1/3 in (8 mm) across, covered in soft spines. They split open in fall to release shiny, blackish seeds.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Forest edges
- Riverbanks
- Disturbed ground
- Coasts
- Range
- Native to Japan, the Korean Peninsula, Taiwan, and southern and central China. Outside its home range it's grown now and then in botanical gardens and collections, for example in Britain and France.
- Preferred conditions
- Likes sunny, open ground and moves in quickly after logging or fire. It's sensitive to cold.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
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