Chinese mahogany Toona sinensis

This native of China and much of Asia is as useful as it is beautiful. The red spring leaves of the Chinese mahogany are attractive to look at and tasty to eat, while its timber is used to make high quality furniture.

Despite being introduced to Britain as long ago as 1862, Toona sinensis was, until recently, not sufficiently well known enough for it to warrant having a common name. However, in the late 1990s it finally became known as Chinese mahogany for its botanical relationship with mahogany - both are from the family Meliaceae.

It is probably no surprise then that Toona sinensis, like West Indian mahogany (Swietenia mahagoni), is highly valued for its timber. The wood of Chinese mahogany is very durable and easily worked, making it ideal for use in the manufacture of furniture. It is also burnt in temples for its delicate scent.

As its name suggests, this tree is native to China but it also found in Nepal, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. In Britain, it is planted largely for its ornamental value as it has particularly attractive foliage in spring.

When the first shoots and young leaves emerge they are a reddish bronze colour, which then turns to green. These young leaves are used as a vegetable in China, and taste similar to onion. The flavour of the younger, redder leaves is said to be better than those which have turned green although both are regularly used in stir fry meals and salads. In this form it is called xiang chun ya or Chinese toon.

When the leaves are fully grown, they are a deep green and are 30-60cm long with 10-24 leaflets arranged in pairs either side of the central stalk. In autumn, the leaves fade to gold before being shed for winter. There is also a spectacular if somewhat rare variety of Toona sinensis called 'Flamingo', which has bright pink leaves in the spring.