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Strawberry tree, Chinese

Strawberry tree, Chinese

Product number: 001355
Origin: East Asia
Latin: Cudrania tricuspidata, also known as Maclura tricuspidata

This is an unknown relative of the mulberry and deserves much more attention! The seedlings grow into large shrubs or small trees, which bear red, (outwardly) strawberry-like fruits. The taste of the fully ripe fruits is very sweet and refreshing like a watermelon. For fruit set, the female plant needs a male, so grow several plants together in the hope that you have both sexes. The fruit ripens in early winter, so wait to pick until it has flavour! This beautiful adventure requires some patience, as flowering and fruiting only occur after 10 years. Prune the tree annually, as flowering and fruiting take place on one-year-old wood. This deciduous (thorned) shrub or tree is completely winter-hardy in our climate, but needs some protection in the first year.

Names:
Latin: Cudrania tricuspidata, or also Maclura tricuspidata
Dutch: Strawberry Tree, Chinese
Also: Ché-Fruit
English: Ché or Chinese Mulberry

Sowing method: Year-round. Sow in a (seed) tray, keep moist but not too wet, stir the sowing occasionally but do not let the seeds remain on the surface. During this stratification period, place the seed tray in the refrigerator or outside in cold weather. After a few months, the tray can be moved to a warm place to germinate. Repeat this process until germination occurs.

Sowing/planting time: