Champion trees
The plant recorders at Trebah Garden have submitted the measurements of several trees to the National Tree Register of what they believe are the largest specimens of their kind in the country.
These include the Chusan Palm (Trachycarpus fortunei) that stands at the head of Rhododendron Valley which aged approx. 150 yrs old, has attained a height of 14.75 metres; the massive Handkerchief Tree (Davidia involucrata var. vilmoriniana) from China in the Chilean Coomb; Magnolia campbellii from the Himalayas which has huge water lily type flowers in February before the leaves appear; and the Chilean Laurel (Laurelia sempervirens ), a handsome evergreen with strongly aromatic foliage which was planted at the turn of the last century and is the tallest in the UK at 19.50 metres.
The flowers of the 'Pocket Handkerchief Tree, Davidia involucrata var. vilmoriniana are in fact the small rounded dark clusters. The 'handkerchiefs' are bracts, acting as protective sheaths for the flowers.
Facts about Champion Trees
- Trebah has 8 UK champions and 7 county champions
- The heights are recorded using an instrument called a clinometer
- At 27.3m tall, our Magnolia campbellii is only 0.7m less than the tallest recorded growing in the wild
- The Handkerchief Tree has a girth of 3.4m
- When flowering, the Davidia is probably one of the most beautiful trees in the world
