A showy tree with large leaves and fragrant flowers. Among many alternative names, also known as the Empress Tree or Kiri. Introduced 1838.

Native to China and Korea.

Monoecious. Insect-pollinated. Seeds dispersed by wind and water.

Medium (25m), usually wide-spreading from a short trunk. Bark grey, finely rough, maturing into rounded ridges. Twigs sturdy and velvety; buds opposite, becoming hollow when larger, the terminal bud often aborted. Leaves very large (to 35cm), especially on coppiced or young growth, heart-shaped, flimsy, matt and roughly hairy, sometimes shallowly lobed. Flowers 3-4 per cyme, white-purple (5-8cm). Fruit a woody ovoid capsule splitting to release fluffy seeds.

Sensitive to winter cold and spring frosts. Prefers well-drained fertile soils in full sun. Shallow-roots and prone to wind damage.

No notable associations where introduced. Flowers attract bees.

Generally healthy. Considered invasive in the USA.

Ornamental. Timber is pale and lightweight, and relatively strong. In China, it was traditionally planted to mark the birth of a girl, and with its rapid growth, then felled to make items to celebrate her marriage.