Cudrania Tricuspidata (Che): A Fruit Tree You Don't Need a Pair For

Scientific Identity

Its Latin name is Cudrania tricuspidata (also listed as Maclura tricuspidata in some sources), from the Moraceae family - the same family as mulberries. It's native to China, Korea, and Japan. It's also known as 'Che' or 'silkworm thorn' - the 'thorn' part of the name comes from the thorny wild form.

Permaculture Value

This species is normally dioecious - male and female flowers grow on separate trees, so you'd typically need two trees to get fruit. My tree has a male branch from the 'Norris' cultivar grafted onto a 'Nadiecki' tree, which means a single tree can both pollinate and fruit. That's a smart space-saving solution for small gardens - you fit what would normally take two trees into one. The wild form's thorny growth was also historically used as an alternative to mulberry leaves for feeding silkworms, which is where the name 'silkworm thorn' comes from.

Edible or Medicinal?

The fruit is edible - when ripe it has a sweet taste somewhere between mulberry and fig. In traditional Korean medicine, the leaves and roots have been used, and today extracts also show up in some cosmetic products for their antioxidant content. I'm not presenting this as medical advice - just noting known uses. Eating the ripe fruit fresh is the most reliable way to use this plant.

How to Grow It

It wants full sun and isn't particular about soil type - it adapts to a range of conditions. Once established it handles drought well. It's also cold-hardy, tolerating temperatures down to around -20C without much trouble. Fruit ripens in late summer to early fall. The wild form is thorny, but cultivated varieties are generally less so.

A Garden Observation

I planted this tree in the first tier next to an apricot. Right now the fruit is still green, but once ripe it looks like clusters of red raspberries. Because of the grafted male branch, I'm expecting fruit without needing a second tree - I like these kinds of 'two jobs, one tree' solutions in the garden, especially when space is limited.