The Velvet-leaf Euodia of Fischerinsel

Its German name is not flattering: Samthaarige Stinkesche, the velvet-haired stinking ash. Gardeners elsewhere call the same species the bee-bee tree, which is kinder and closer to the point. It flowers in high summer, after most trees have finished, with broad flat heads of small white flowers, and in July and August it can hum with bees from some distance away. It is not an ash at all. Tetradium daniellii belongs to the citrus family and comes from northern China and Korea, and the stinking part of the name refers to the sharp smell of its crushed leaves. Berlin made this one Naturdenkmal 1-54/B on 2 March 1993 for beauty and rarity, and it is the only one among the Berlin trees we map. It stands on Fischerinsel, the southern end of the Spree island in the middle of Berlin, level with the Australian Embassy at Fischerinsel 5. The tree is seen from the public street and green strip; the embassy grounds are not open, and you do not need them. It was photographed in leaf in May 2024. It sits about 600 metres from the Kentucky coffeetree on the Märkischer Platz, so the two make an easy short walk between two rarities. Berlin's register gives no age and no girth. If you know when it was planted, tell us.