The Chinese Pink Cedar (Toona sinensis) is a deciduous flowering tree, native to Asia, in the Meliaceae family of mahogany trees. It is also known as the Chinese Mahogany, the Chinese Toon Tree, or previously known as the Flamingo Tree.
It grows to 25 metres (82 feet). Its bark is dark-brown and smooth, but scaly as it ages.
It is a narrow, tall, suckering tree, forming long, straight branches up to 12 metres (39 feet) high.
The flamingo-pink leaves appear for 2-3 weeks in spring. The colour fades to a creamy-yellow, and then to green.
The flowers of the Chinese Pink Cedar are white or pale-pink with small petals.
It blooms in summer.
Photographed in the Botanical Garden, Paris, April 2021.
Photographer: Martina Nicolls
MARTINA NICOLLS