China Fir Tree vs Monkey Puzzle Tree

This week when I emptied the buckets of leftover greenery I used for making Christmas arrangements, I was surprised to find that the China Fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata, pronounced kun-ing-HAM-ee-a lan-see-oh-LAY-ta) looked almost as fresh as it did when it was cut six weeks ago.

China Fir is a narrow, pyramidal tree reaching heights of 75 feet (50 feet is more common) and 10-30 feet wide. Native to China, they are cold hardy in zones 7-9. They enjoy damp soil and will even withstand occasional flooding, but are also heat and drought tolerant.

This tree is commonly confused with the Monkey Puzzle tree. China Fir leaves are narrow needles around two inches long that taper to a point, while the Monkey Puzzle (Araucaria araucana) leaves are more triangular, are as sharp as razor blades, and are held on the limbs and trunks as well as the stems. China Fir leaves are stiff so the needles can be scratchy, but an encounter with Monkey Puzzle will leave you bleeding like something from a Monty Python movie. I have tried without success to grow a Monkey Puzzle tree in upstate SC, even going so far as to have the long-suffering husband use his tractor to build a berm of soil and mix in Permatill to provide the sharp drainage it requires. I have spent thousands of dollars and countless hours babying the cursed things, all of which died. I refused to accept that one of these pricey trees died within weeks, and even spray painted its dead carcass green so I could pretend for several months. My last attempt was a container version. I have admitted defeat and will not try/invest again.

Evergreen China Fir, unlike the Monkey Puzzle, grows obligingly along my driveway and even in the parking lot islands of a nearby Dollar General. In full sun, the needles take on bronzy tones in winter. My specimen is in partial shade and it remains green year-round. The trunk bark shreds in long strips, revealing a reddish inner bark that is attractive. Seed pods look like tiny artichokes. It is normal for these trees to have a few interior limbs to die. Remove the browned limbs for the most attractive appearance.  I have found that trees sucker freely if their roots are disturbed, so use care to avoid damaging them.

The needles of China Fir are not held quite flat but not whorled either. They are flexible, scratchy but not painful to handle.

Monkey Puzzle leaves are stiff, razor sharp, and appear on the trunk as well as the limbs.

Banana Shrub - Fragrant, Beautiful

Plants that bloom in winter grab our attention. Plants that have sweet fragrance please our noses. My Banana Shrub is in full bloom mid-January, and it does both.

When I purchased this beauty in a one-gallon container some twenty years ago, the label read Michelia maudiae (Banana Shrub) ‘Smiling Forest’. Since then, the plant has been reclassified into the Magnolia genus. I cannot argue with the taxonomists who changed the name. The fragrant blooms look like small versions of the beloved Magnolia grandiflora. The scent carries fruity notes I do not detect in the southern Magnolia, although it does not mimic bananas (my opinion). It has the thick, evergreen leaves of other Magnolias, smaller version. Bonus points: Banana Shrub does not shed leaves daily, making it a good alternative to the smaller stature Magnolias like ‘Little Gem’ or ‘Kay Parris.’

The plant label on Smiling Forest said that it would reach 10 feet. My specimen, unaware of this restriction, is slightly more than twenty feet tall. It is a tree, not a shrub, in the Mary Snoddy garden. It also seems unaware that it blooms prematurely. This out-of-synch bloom is likely due to my poor placement.

Banana Shrub enjoys partial shade. Unfortunately, I sited mine on the southwest side of a metal agricultural building. The building absorbs and releases heat in wintertime, coaxing the Banana into spring behavior. Every year, it blooms beautifully and then is zapped by a cold blast. The ivory petals turn to brown mush and the tender new growth falls, leaving the tree shivering in the cold, partially clad only in older leaves. It will recover by May, with new blooms and new growth, although flowering will not be as heavy as the winter bloom-burst. The tree is far too large to relocate, so I just live with this unfortunate annual near-plant-death experience.

Banana Shrubs grow in zones 7b to 9. They are drought tolerant, once established. They are not bothered by insects or diseases and are not normally browsed by deer. Just pick the right place – partial shade produces a lovely, dense plant that blooms in April.

This Banana Shrub bloom is only three inches across. It is an excellent mimic of its cousin, Magnolia grandiflora

Banana Bush, full bloom. This photo was taken January 14, 2020.