Trochodendron

The genus Trochodendron belongs to the small order Trochodendrales, which includes evergreen trees. These trees are notable for their wood, which lacks specialized water-conducting vessel cells, instead using tracheids, a type of cell more commonly found in gymnosperms.1

Trochodendron aralioides, also known as the wheel tree, is an evergreen tree native to South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. It can grow up to 12 meters tall and features leaves with pinnately veined patterns. Its flowers, which lack sepals and petals, grow in clusters at the branch tips. These flowers are either male-only or bisexual, and the bisexual trees have a distinctive ring of stamens, giving the genus its common name. The flowers are pollinated by insects and the tree is sometimes cultivated for ornamental purposes.1