I'd wondered about Radermachera sinica (China Doll) because it's sold as a houseplant so could end up being planted outside. It has the opposite decussate pattern when it is young. It's hard to find anything that doesn't sometimes branch though. Are there any of the plant in question that have branches other than the symmetrical ones?

HamiltonSquare said:How about this one Radermachera hainanensis ?

This site is in Chinese but the photos have similarity...
http://yncqzzg.site5.mc-test.c...

Yes I was just looking there and one of the photos shows the leaf scar with a distinctive shape that matches.

Greene, I agree the growth pattern is very similar although the leaves are somewhat different. I think you people are getting close to an id!

sooby said:I'd wondered about Radermachera sinica (China Doll) because it's sold as a houseplant so could end up being planted outside. It has the opposite decussate pattern when it is young. It's hard to find anything that doesn't sometimes branch though. Are there any of the plant in question that have branches other than the symmetrical ones?

Sooby, it does look like one of the trees may be sprouting a limb, but it is too small to tell yet. Just by looking at these 3 plant's growth patterns, I would have to say that would be a rarity though.

Radermachera has very similar leaves! It's in the family Bignoniaceae.

They appear to have only bipinnately compound leaves, and the trees branch out.

Those that don't branch will have been cut off.

https://www.google.co.uk/searc...

http://www.arthurleej.com/p-o-...

This tree has tripinnately compound leaves, they have extra leaf stalks on the lateral stalks with three leaves.

https://www.csu.edu.au/herbari...

http://www.nbh.psla.umd.edu/gu...

I tried to add this to my post above about Radermachera sinica but my iPad wouldn't cooperate. I finally got it to post here. This is the herbarium specimen for R. sinica and it is recorded in Florida according to the Atlas of Florida Plants (but not in the area in question):

http://florida.plantatlas.usf....

That looks like it! I see both have a mixture of the number of 'pinnate' leaves. I noticed some leaves have small notches on them, looking at the leaf of the one in question it also has notches!

It was one of the Bignoniaceae I mentioned pondering yesterday but wasn't sure about - I noticed just now going back through the thread that Frillylilly got this one, if that's what it turns out to be.

Leaves 2(or 3)-pinnately compound

http://www.efloras.org/florata...

Yes!

http://forum.gardenexpress.com...

This place is in Fort Myers and they sell several Radermachera.

[url]http://toptropicals.com/cgi-bin/store/tt_search.cgi [/url]

Radermachera sinica

A young plant tends to have a single vertical stem with a leafy crown of bi-pinnate, shiny leaves. As it matures, more branching occurs and there may be several stems from the base

http://toptropicals.com/catalo...

I just recognized the leaves from a house plant my mom used to have when I was a kid, and I remember her calling it a 'china....? something' so I just googled china houseplant. It grew aggressively and we didn't have it long, it got huge and we had to throw it out

We also had a China Doll when I was a kid. Just like your experience, it outgrew the spot and got tossed. You all did some great sleuthing on this one!

Who would have thought a plant which is grown as a potted houseplant would be growing like this!

I see it's available here, not sure it would like our climate but at least it might keep it small.

plantmanager said:You all did some great sleuthing on this one!

Best ID I've watched to date!

JRsbugs said:Who would have thought a plant which is grown as a potted houseplant would be growing like this!

Agreed. Never would have expected it to be a houseplant.

JamesAcclaims said:

Agreed. Never would have expected it to be a houseplant.

Same here. Florida does have an incredible climate for plants, so I can see how it could be in a protected forest area and grow up to look like that!

You guys are awesome