Chinese Parasol Tree

Chinese Parasol Tree — Chinese parasol tree is an ornamental plant or tree of the cacao, or chocolate, of the family Sterculiaceae of the order Malvales, native to Asia. It grows to a height of 12 m (40 feet). It has alternate, deciduous leaves up to 30 cm (12 inches) across and small greenish white flowers that are borne in clusters. It is grown as an ornamental in warm regions of North America.

The Chinese parasol tree, Firmiana simplex, family Sterculiaceae, is a deciduous broadleaf tree native to eastern and southeastern Asia, the Malay archipelago, and some Pacific islands. It grows up to 14 m tall (about 45 ft) and has smooth gray-green bark and a rounded top that gives it its name. The leaves have three to five long, pointed lobes. The flowers grow in terminal clusters; the fruit consists of five leaflike parts that burst open before ripening.