W.J. Beal Botanical Garden’s Spartan Tree Stories

3. Chinese Ash, Hua Qu Liu

Fraxinus chinensis var. rhyncophylla

The seeds from which this tree was grown were collected by Dr. Frank W. Telewski, former Director of the W.J. Beal Botanical Garden, from Seoraksan, the highest mountain in the Taebaek mountain range in the Gangwon Province in eastern South Korea in November, 1993. Known in Asia as Hua Qu Liu, this tree is an important source of herbal medicine. When the emerald ash borer was discovered in Detroit ravaging North American ash, little was known about this insect's biology. MSU entomologist Dr. Deb McCullough initiated a research program to establish information regarding the feeding habit of this new invasive species. In need of a native source of food for this insect, Dr. McCullough was able to collect leaves from these trees to initiate her research on the biology of this insect pest. Another nearby tree is from the same source (93N315*08).

- Dr. Frank W. Telewski
Retired, Director of W. J. Beal Botanical Garden and Campus Arboretum
Professor Emeritus, Department of Plant Biology