Maackia

The Maackias are a genus of 8 species of potentially very valuable ornamental trees within the greater Legume family. They do
best in full sun on rich light well drained soil. They both are very drought, heat, alkaline and clay tolerant but does not like road salt. Not prone to any pests or diseases either. Soak seeds in hot water for 24 hours before sowing for better germination rate. They can be soaked at up to 190 F. Maackias can also be grown from cuttings taken during summer.
Pruning is best done to shape when tree is young because large wounds do not heal quickly. Little pruning is generally needed anyway.
Like many Legumes; the roots on the Maackias fix ( produce ) their own nitrogen.

Maackia amurensis ( Amur Maackia )
The Amur Maackia is a medium-sized, dense-canopied, spreading legume tree; fast growing at first but quickly slowing down within a few years. It can live up to 250 years. Records include: fastest recorded growth rate - 6 feet; largest on record - 82 x 60 feet with a trunk diameter of 3 feet; largest in Connecticut - 50 x 50 feet @ Westerfie; largest in Maryland - 30 x 50 x 2 feet in Baltimore.
The pinnate leaves, up to 12 inches long, are composed of 7 - 11 oval leaflets up to 3 inches in length. The foliage is silvery blue grey in spring turning dark green during summer.
The erect flower clusters are up to 8 inches in length, creamy white and born during July.
The twigs are grayish with rounded, brown, small buds.
The smooth bark is orange and marked with conspicuous lenticels.
It is native to northeast Asia ( var. buergeri is from Japan ). Hardy zones 1 to 7 and extremely drought tolerant and also drought tolerant.

* photo taken on Feb 2009 @ U.S. National Arboretum, DC

* photos taken on May 6 2010 @ Brookside Gardens, Wheaton, MD


* photo of unknown source on internet

* photo taken on 4th of July 2010 @ U.S. National Arboretum, D.C.

* photo taken on October 17 2010 @ U.S. National Arboretum, D.C.

* photo taken on Aug 14 2014 in Columbia, MD

* photo taken on Mar 25 2017 in Columbia, MD

* photo taken on Apr 23 2017 @ Brookside Gardens, Wheaton, MD

* photos taken on Jul 18 2017 @ Dominion Arboretum, Ottawa, ON

* photo taken on Aug 5 2017 @ Brookside Gardens, Wheaton, MD

* photos taken on Oct 26 2019 in Columbia, MD

* photo taken on Nov 10 2020 @ Brookside Gardens, Wheaton, MD

* photo taken on Mar 23 2021 in Columbia, MD

* photo taken on Aug 30 2021 @ U.S. National Arboretum, Washington, DC

* photos taken on Oct 10 2022 in Columbia, MD

* photos taken on Oct 16 2022 in Columbia, MD

* photos taken on Oct 31 2024 in Columbia, MD

'Starburst'
A vigorous selection with extra large white flower panicles. It generally has a good rounded habit with a strong branching structure.
The foliage is darker and almost twice as thick as usual for the species. It is also larger than average. The pinnnate leaves average 9 x 4 inches in size and are composed of 13 leaflets, up to 2 x 1 inches in size.
The white flowers, up to 0.5 inches long, are borne in panicles up to 5.5 inches long.
The attractive bark is peeling and coppery-brown.

Maackia chinensis ( Chinese Maackia )
A broadly spreading, medium size tree reaching up to 50 feet or more, that is native to China. Some records include: fastest recorded growth rate - 2.5 feet; largest on record - 80 x 60 feet with a trunk diameter of 3 feet.
The pinnate leaves, up to 12 inches in length, are composed of 9 to 13 leaflets up to 2 x 0.7 inches in size. The short stalked leaflets are stunning silky silvery blue-gray during spring turning to medium green during summer though still downy beneath.
The white, pealike flowers are up to 0.5 inches in length and are borne on dense, upright panicles, up to 8 x 5 inches in size. The panicles are clustered at the ends of the shoots in mid summer. Small pods up to 2 inches in length follow.
The bark is orange with conspicuous lenticels.
Hardy zones 4 to 7

* photos taken on Sep 3 2017 @ U.S. National Arboretum, D.C.

Maackia tenuifolia ( Honan Maackia )
A large shrub or small tree, reaching up to 23 feet, that is native to southeastern China.
The pinnate leaves, up to 7 inches long, are composed of 3 to 5 ( rarely 7 ) leaflets. The obovate leaflets are up to 4 x 2.3 inches in size.
The greenish-white flowers appear during late spring.
They are followed by pods up to 4 x 0.6 inches in size.

* photos taken on July 3 2024 @ U.S. National Arboretum, Wash DC