Toona sinensis
Toona sinensis
Toona sinensis looks and grows almost exactly like Ailanthus, but that’s where the similarities end! While Ailanthus smells like rancid peanuts, Chinese Toon smells like onion bullion broth, and tastes like it as well! The early emerging leaf shoots in the spring are cut and used in stir frys and soups, adding incredible flavor and nutrient density to your spring meals. It’s also fast growing and has beautiful foliage. There is little to no risk of invasive tendencies as determined by the USDA mostly because the seed germination is incredibly low vigor.
Toona sinensis is the most cold hardy of all the members of Meliaceae, the true mahoganies. The spring shoots and leaves are used in many countries throughout Asia as a green, cooked in a variety of dishes. The flavor of the young leaves is remarkable, sort of like chewing on a piece of a bouillon cube with rich oniony notes.
The nutritional content of the leaves is formidable. In fact there is so much research that has been done on it that there’s even a published review of scientific research https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0102695X18301674.
In addition to the many health benefits of this perennial tree vegetable, the wood is also an actual Mahogany, and can be used for furniture.