Che Fruit Plant (Maclura tricuspidate)

Che (Maclura tricuspidata)

Botanical Name: Maclura tricuspidata (Carr.) Bur.

Common Names: Che, Chinese che, Chinese mulberry, cudrang, mandarin melonberry, silkworm thorn, storehousebush

General Information:

Deciduous tree, occasionally remaining a broad, spreading bush or small tree.

Can grow up to 25 ft (7.6 m), rarely 60 ft (18.3 m).

Alternate, resemble mulberry but smaller, thinner, trilobate, pale yellowish-green.

Dioecious, male and female flowers on different plants, green, appearing in June.

Collective fruit, round, 1 to 2 inches in diameter, similar to a round mulberry crossed with a lychee.

Ripe fruits are red or maroon-red with juicy, rich flesh and 3-6 small brown seeds.

Flavor transforms from almost tasteless to watermelon-like when fully ripe.

Bark fibers used for making paper, bark used medicinally. Eat fresh in fruit salad or out of hand. 

Other Uses:

Leaves valued as feed for silkworms.

Bark fibers are used for making paper, and bark is used medicinally.

Bonsai enthusiasts favor this tree.

Cultivation Information:

Bloom Time/Fruiting: 5-10 years from seed, 2-3 years if grafted

Maintenance Required: Moderate