Plant of the month October

Rehderodendron macrocarpum

A member of the Styrax family, its name can be confused with rhododendron but when in flower you can see the difference. Rehderodendron forms a small tree with elliptical leaves and Styrax like cup shaped creamy-white scented flowers in the spring to early summer.

Now (October) is when the tree comes into its own , and where its species name comes from. It becomes covered in oblong pink to red coloured fruit anything up to 3 inches (8cms) in length

From a distance the tree takes on a pink tinge with the amount of fruit set.

Introduced from west chins in 1931