The Dove Tree in the Castle Grounds

You will hardly find another tree with such a peculiar appearance as the Dove’s Tree. From a distance, it seems as though lots of white handkerchiefs are hanging from the tree, or a flock of white birds has settled on the tree. The tight, reddish-brown clusters, which are about 1-2 cm across, consist of lots of male flowers and only one female flower. They are surrounded with two ovate to heart-shaped leaves, which are, at first, of a greenish-white color. After they have turned a cream white color, they eventually take on a slight reddish tone. The flowers usually bloom in 3 weeks in May / June and produce walnut-size stone fruits that hang on long stalks and contain about 3 – 5 g of seeds. The decorative dentate foliage resembles the leaves of linden trees.

The winter buds are strikingly large, slightly protrusive and reddish in color. In the snow, they look very unusual. The Dove Tree is a small to medium-sized tree with a height of 8 – 12 meters. The crown is at first pyramidal, then roundish and light. It grows best in humid, friable and fertile soils in sheltered and warm locations. In its youth, the tree is quite sensitive to frost. Half-shady locations with slightly sour to neutral soils are preferred. The Dove Tree is native to Western China. In Deidesheim, you can see a Dove Tree in the upper castle grounds close to the Tower Writer’s Tower.