Hi All, Perhaps this question has been asked already (I just joined this forum) but has UBC distributed this tree to the wholesale trade? If so, anyone have any idea where to buy?
From what I know, no - but I'll qualify that and say I'm not the best person available to answer the question (and I'll pass it along to a colleague who probably is). That being said, I do know that 2 of our 3 accessions of this plant come from material wild collected right around the time of Canada signing on the Convention on Biological Diversity. The parts of the CBD that affect the distribution of the plant include Articles 15, 20 and 21. Despite the CBD being 14 years old, the mechanisms and processes for defining and delivering adequate compensation from an institution (UBCBG) to a nation (China) are not, as far as I can tell, in place. Institutions in countries that have not ratified the convention have an easier time of it, I suppose.
Heritage Seedlings, a wholesale grower in Oregon which specializes in 'liners' and seedling for growers to plant out, is trying to grow Carpinus fangiana from seed, and from grafts, and has not yet been very successful (for commercial quantities). This grower has introduced several interesting Asian Carpinus into the nursery trade.