Parasol Chinese Hawthorn

The Chinese Parasol Hawthorne is a small-medium sized deciduous tree that grows well in USDA Zones 7-9. It’s most known for its very large, palmately-veined, 3-5 lobed leaves (to 12” across) that are bright green above and pubescent below. Leaves turn an undistinguished yellow in fall. Mildly fragrant, star-shaped, yellowish-green flowers (to 3/4” wide) in long terminal panicles (to 12”) bloom mostly at the twig ends in early summer. Flowers give way to leathery capsules that split open when ripe (autumn) into 4 or 5 sections, each section containing 1 to 3 seeds. Smooth greenish bark on the young branches and trunk is somewhat unusual. It does well in well-drained soil in full sun to part shade.