Habitat

• hardy to zone 4

Habit and Form

• a deciduous medium to large tree
• typically 60' to 80' tall
• slightly less in width
• medium texture
• moderate growth rate

Summer Foliage

• deciduous, simple leaves
• alternate leaf arrangement
• ovate to cordate leaf shape
• 2" to 5" long
• sharp leaf margin serrations
• dark green leaf color
• pubescent

Autumn Foliage

• yellow or yellow-green
• not showy

Flowers

• small, individual flowers in loose drooping clusters
• flower clusters with a leaf-like bract
• light yellow or creamy flower color
• blooms in late June and early July
• fragrant
• bees are attracted to the flowers

Fruit

• small round nutlet 0.5" in diameter
• cream color; ribbed
• slightly ornamental in late summer

Bark

• ridges and furrows
• color is brown
• pubescent, reddish-brown stems

Culture

• full sun to light shade
• easily transplanted
• prefers moist, deep, fertile, well-drained soils
• tolerant of difficult growing sites and soils
• urban tolerant
• pollution tolerant
• very pH adaptable
• tolerates hedging well

Landscape Uses

• shade tree
• lawn tree
• street tree
• urban locations
• planter boxes
• as a large hedge
• city malls and plantings
• for formal habit, regularity and symmetry

Liabilities

• attracts bees when in bloom
• Japanese beetles
• aphids
• sooty mold

ID Features

• no terminal bud
• lateral buds are green-brown, valvate-like buds
• pubescent stems

Propagation

• by seed
• cultivars mostly by bud grafting or cuttings

Cultivars/Varieties

This plant is not grown commonly in the Unites States, so the following cultivars are known primarily from European records.

'Aurea' - The twigs and branches of this form are yellowish in color, but the effect is not outstanding.

'Fastigiata' - Most notable for its acending branches, this plant has an upright-oval shape.

'Lacinata' - This is a catch-all category for forms with leaves that are oddly lobed or dissected. The plants usually are much smaller than the species.

'Rubra' - The young twigs of this plant show reddish coloration in winter.

'Tortuosa' - This tree features branches that are twisted and coiled, though the effect is not said to be attractive.