No matter the season this tree always requires some sort of tactile attention when passing in a sheltered part of the woodland. This plant receives much more physical interaction than any other I can think of. It requires at least a good pat if not more, due to the trunk texture resembling parts of the human, particularly a leg or arm once the papery bark has peeled away. It seems as if with age there are many more wrinkles, much like ourselves as well….

The Huodendron are an outstanding group of 3 spp. all of which are growing in the garden. The flowers are small for a member of the styrax family but when given enough light the massed effect of the hanging clusters is showy when viewed from a few yards away. This display combines well with the lovely dusky pink young foliage and with the smooth multicoloured bark, its chief attraction. Relatively rare in cultivation I think mainly due to the tiny seeds, (about 1mm across) which are impossible to locate on the forest floor and difficult to sort out from chaff on the tree. It could also be its tender nature although the trees at Tregrehan haven’t been damaged with frosts to -6 degrees, but I would still recommend growing on inside till a metre or so before planting. Young plants are slow to build up strength and seem to have a weak root system which allows stem rocking until a reasonable age is reached.