Chinese Happy Tree, Cancer Tree, Xi shu, Long shu, Tian zi shu Camptotheca acuminata 

Native Chinese tree, sometimes classified as a member of the Tupelo family, Nyssaceae, and as a member of the Dogwood family, Cornaceae by others.  The trees grow with a single trunk and reach a height of 60 feet at maturity.  The bark is grey in color and smooth when young, but becomes furrowed as the tree ages.  Blooms are white or pale green in color, spherical in shape, resembling a puffy marble and are borne in clusters in the spring.  Blooms are followed by fruits with wings, also borne in spherical clusters.  Leaves are ovate in shape and are arranged opposite one another.  They emerge with a red color and mature to a deep green with heavy veining

Camptotheca make attractive specimen or street tree and are easily and quickly grown, forming nice specimens within 5 years from seed.  They prefer a location in full sun in a moderately moist soil.  They are tough customers and can be shorn or polled only to burst forth again.

Propagation is easily performed by softwood cuttings or sowing seed.  Seeds can be sown as soon as they are ripe or stored seed can be used.  (Seeds should be stored in the freezer if they are not to be planted fresh and can be kept for several years in this way.)  Sow seeds in pots or trays at a depth of 1/4 inch.  Keep the medium moist, but not soggy and at a temperature of 60 - 70F.  Light helps germination.  Seedlings should be repotted or transplanted outdoors (if outside temperatures do not fall below 50F) whenb they reach about 2 to 3 inches in height.   Cuttings may be taken of softwood in the spring and inserted into vermiculite or sand.  Keep the medium moist and mist the cutting tops  frequentlyto prevent drying.

Camptotheca has been used medicinally for hundreds of years to treat a number of conditions and is proving to be invaluable to both eastern and western medicine.  It has been used in the past to treat liver, stomach and gall bladder problems.  Currently, several commercial pharmaceutical companies have developed several drugs utilizing a component of the tree, camptothecin, which has been found to inhibit tumor growth. They are used to treat ovarian, colorectal, lung and stomach cancers and in the treatment of leukemia.  All parts of the tree are used.

Hardy to 10F (-12.2C)     Height: 60 feet     Spread: 40 feet

#1697    Packet  $8.50   Approximately 50 seeds
#B4z-1697    Bulk seed 4oz  $50.50   Approximately 2400 seeds
#B1-1697    Bulk seed 1lb  $85.50   Approximately 9600 seeds

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