Trochodendron aralioides

Common Names

Wheel Tree, Parasol Tree, Birdlime Tree, Yamaguruma, Nagaba-No-Yamaguruma, Kun Lan Shu

Summary

Wheel tree is an evergreen tree or large shrub native to Japan, southern Korea, and Taiwan, with a slow growth habit and a broad vase-shaped canopy. It features leathery, glossy green leaves arranged in whorls near branch tips, and greenish-yellow flowers held in erect racemes that lack petals, with 10–20 flowers per raceme and a wheel-like ring of 40–70 stamens surrounding 4–11 carpels, followed by a woody, star-shaped fruit. A distinctive feature is the absence of vessels in its wood, relying on tracheids for water transport.

Hardy to USDA zones 6b–9a, this plant grows best in moist, fertile, well-drained loams with dappled shade, though it tolerates sun and benefits from wind protection. It requires regular moisture and is not drought-tolerant; propagation is by seed or semi-ripe cuttings, and plants are suited for landscape use as a specimen or understory tree in woodland settings, adding architectural form and year-round evergreen foliage.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

10-20 feet

Spread

10-15 feet

Hardiness Zones

Zones 6-9

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally partial shade to full sun.

Soil Type

Moist, fertile, well-drained loam soil (humus-rich); not too wet and not bone-dry, pH 5.5–7.

Soil Drainage

Moist, well-drained soil

Soil pH

5-7.5

Bloom Color

Insignificant

Bloom Time

Spring

Foliage Color

Dark green

Fall Foliage Color

No fall color; evergreen foliage.

Leaf Lifecycle

Evergreen broadleaf

Growth Rate

Slow-growing

Seasons of Interest

Spring and Summer

Propagation Methods

Seeds, Cuttings, Layering, Semi-ripe cuttings

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts birds