Chinese Mahogany Seed

Toona sinensis is a highly decorative deciduous tree, often multistemmed. The long and large pinnate aromatic leaves are often pink when young and are used in Chinese cuisine. The smooth bark on young trees becomes shaggier with age (don’t we all!). Small scented flowers in July, white or pink, are produced in long pannicles at branch ends. The wood is used for furniture as a ‘genuine’ mahogany substitute and also burns aromatically. It is now being investigated as an alternative woodland tree because of climate change and disease issues.