Xanthoceras sorbifolium Happy Orange

Xanthoceras sorbifolium Happy Orange is a delightful form with orange flowers from a delicious, unfairly unknown Asian shrub, very rarely planted in our gardens despite its many advantages. It is a charming cousin of the Chinese Soap Tree (Koelreuteria paniculata) that bears a light foliage reminiscent of the mountain ash, offers a spring flowering as abundant as it is colourful, and beautiful autumn colours. It is also an interesting plant for its edible seeds. To all these qualities is added a great ease of cultivation in almost all soils and in many climates.

Xanthoceras sorbifolium Happy Orange belongs to the Sapindaceae family along with chestnut trees and lychees. It is an Austrian selection by Franz Praskac that is unique in the world, dating back to 2015. Its ancestor originates from China and Korea. Xanthoceras sorbifolium is the only species listed in the genus Xanthoceras. It was introduced to France in 1866 but remains too rarely cultivated. Very resistant to cold, the shrub tolerates limestone soils if they are deep and well-drained, as well as summer drought once well rooted. Overall, it only fears waterlogged soils and summers that are both hot and humid.

It is a large, slow-growing shrub with a bushy habit, reaching 3 m (10 ft) in height and almost as much in width at maturity. It forms a single trunk or several trunks and bears a spreading, sparsely branched crown. Its bark is dark brown, cracking with age. The deciduous foliage consists of pinnate leaves 12 to 30 cm (5 to 12 in) long, divided into 15 to 19 ovate and dentate leaflets, with the terminal leaflets often trilobed. The young shoots are acid-green, turning bright green in summer and golden-yellow in autumn before falling off. In winter, the branches are bare. Flowering takes place from April to June depending on the region; it is abundant and lasts 4 to 6 weeks. The plant produces both inflorescences containing only male flowers and others composed of bisexual flowers. The bisexual inflorescences are produced at the end of the branches, while the upright male inflorescences form lower down on the branches. Each panicle, conical in shape, measures 15 to 25 cm (6 to 10 in) long. It consists of numerous 5-petaled flowers, 2 cm (1 in) in diameter, with a campanulate shape; these are slightly fragrant and highly appreciated by bees. The colour of the petals varies from yellow to peach and orange-pink-copper, while the throat of the flower changes from acid-yellow to orange and dark red. After pollination, the flowers give rise to spherical capsules, 5-6 cm (2 in) in diameter, reaching maturity in September. Each capsule, divided into 3 chambers, opens to release 6 to 18 large round, black and shiny edible seeds, whose flavour resembles that of macadamia nuts.

Xanthoceras sorbifolium Happy Orange is an easy and rewarding ornamental shrub, to be placed alone in a small garden, in a shrub border or in a free hedge. In a grove, it can be associated with Persian Ironwood Vanessa, Compact Winged Euonymus and Skylark Ceanothus in mild climates, or even The Fairy rose. All these shrubs are easy to grow. In this plant, the seeds, flowers, and leaves are edible! The seeds, rich in oil, can be consumed like nuts.

An exceptional shrub: in China, Xanthoceras sorbifolium is used to revegetate barren mountains and fight desertification. Its roots help stabilise soils and limit erosion.