The Tonkin Wingnut is a fast growing, flowering, shade tree and a member of the walnut family. It is native to Vietnam, China, and other countries in south-east Asia. It is a large tree with a rounded crown that, at maturity can reach a height of 100 feet and an equal spread. It has 17 inch long pinnate leaves, whitish-gray bark that is heavily fissured, and large, foot long, fruit. This tree thrives in the southeastern region of North America. The genus name comes from the Greek words for wing and nut. Karya is an old Greek name for the walnut tree. Tonkin Wingnut does best in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun. Soil should be consistently moist, although established trees tolerate some drought and clay soils. The tree will develop an extensive root system and freely suckers. Tonkin Wingnut is often found in tropical monsoon forest and along floodplains. It is the most endangered of all wingnuts due to destruction of riverbank forests, lack of replacement, and harvesting for timber by local communities. Tonkin Wingnut shares many features with Pterocarya stenoptera , but lacks wings on the rachis and has a more southerly distribution with earlier flowering and fruiting. There is some evidence that it may be a subspecies of Pterocarya stenoptera. Transitional forms occur where the ranges of two species overlap. Tonkin Wingnut requires a large open space. It is fast growing and can reach 20 feet high in its first five years. Shallow and aggressive roots can cause damage to sidewalks and driveways. Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: No serious insect or disease problems. Fruits, foliage and twigs can produce a good amount of litter on the ground.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
more than 60 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 30 ft. 0 in. - 100 ft. 0 in. | Width: 30 ft. 0 in. - 100 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
1 - Canopy (>40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Broad; Erect; Rounded
Texture
Coarse
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf shape
Ovate
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, 3-6 inches wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
The leaves of this plant extend into compound pinnate leaflets which can each reach 7 inches long and 3 inches wide. Leaves usually lack a terminal leaflet. The leaf structure (rachis) is wingless, sometimes ridged, pubescent, and margins that are sharply serrate. The leaves turn a good clear-yellow in some autumns.
Fall color
Insignificant
Flower color
Green
Flower form
Catkin
Flower size
> 6 inches
Flower detail
Non-showy, light green flowers appear in pendulous catkins in May and June. Female catkins can be 20 inches long and male catkins 7 inches long.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Brown/Copper; Green
Fruit type
Nut
Fruit value
Showy
Fruit size
> 3 inches long, > 3 inches wide
Fruit detail
Small, green, fruits (nutlets) develop in the female catkins in early summer, forming strings to 20 inches long. Nutlets mature to brown in late summer to early fall, often persisting on the tree into winter.
Bark color
Light Gray
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
China to Indo-China
Distribution
Eastern Asia
Play value
Shade
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Fall; Summer
Fruit type
Nut
Uses (ethnobotany)
The tree is good for wood production but is less dense than some other alternatives such as walnut.