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China Doll

Radermachera sinica · Bignoniaceae
10m
Mature height
1
Councils: no permit needed
0
Councils: exempt under a height limit
19
Councils: permit required
China Doll (Radermachera sinica) growing in Sydney
China Doll · typical mature form

Do you need a permit?

China Doll is a protected tree in effectively every council Pro Climbing Tree Services covers. Expect to need a tree permit, or a development application where the property is heritage listed or in a heritage conservation area.

How to identify it

Glossy finely divided compound leaves giving a soft lacy appearance, on a fast growing upright tree. Sold widely as an indoor plant and then planted out, where it becomes far larger than expected.

Where it grows in Sydney

Common in courtyard gardens and narrow side setbacks across the Lower North Shore, Inner West and Eastern Suburbs.

Common problems

  • Planted as a small indoor specimen and quickly outgrows the position
  • Weak branch structure prone to splitting
  • Roots find drains in confined courtyard situations
  • Self seeds in warm sheltered gardens

What removal involves

Named on the exempt lists in North Sydney and Lane Cove. Elsewhere it is protected subject to size thresholds, though many specimens sit below them. Straightforward small tree work.

Council permit rules, council by council

Status below is for a tree on private land that has passed the council’s size threshold. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas, significant tree registers, biodiversity mapping and conditions of development consent override every exemption shown here.
Council
Status
What it means
Northern Beaches
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Ku-ring-gai
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Hornsby Shire
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
The Hills Shire
Confirm with Council
Council holds its species exemptions in a document rather than on its website, so confirm this species with Council before treating removal as exempt. Size thresholds apply in the meantime. Official rules
Blacktown City
Permit required
Council does not run a species exemption list. A permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold, and each tree is assessed on its own merits. Official rules
North Sydney
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Willoughby
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Lane Cove
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
City of Ryde
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Hunters Hill
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
City of Sydney
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Inner West
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Woollahra
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Waverley
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Randwick
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Bayside
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Georges River
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Strathfield
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Burwood
Confirm with Council
Council holds its species exemptions in a document rather than on its website, so confirm this species with Council before treating removal as exempt. Size thresholds apply in the meantime. Official rules
Canterbury-Bankstown
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
It was a pot plant. Why is it now a 6m tree?

China Doll is sold as an indoor plant but is a genuine tree. Planted into the ground in a Sydney garden it grows quickly and rarely stays at the size the owner expected.

Commonly confused with

Silky Oak
Both have finely divided glossy foliage, though China Doll stays much smaller

Related species

Jacaranda (Jacaranda mimosifolia) growing in Sydney
Jacaranda
Jacaranda mimosifolia
Silky Oak (Grevillea robusta) growing in Sydney
Silky Oak
Grevillea robusta
African Olive (Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata) growing in Sydney
African Olive
Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata
Athel Tree (Tamarix aphylla) growing in Sydney
Athel Tree
Tamarix aphylla

Important note on council rules

This encyclopedia is a practical guide for Sydney property owners, not legal advice. Council tree rules change, and exemptions are frequently overridden by heritage listings, heritage conservation areas, significant tree registers, biodiversity mapping, endangered ecological communities and conditions attached to development consent. Always confirm the current rules with your council for your specific address before any tree work begins, or ask us to check it for you.
Photo by Forest and Kim Starr via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 us

Quick facts

Botanical name
Radermachera sinica
Also known as
Serpent Tree
Family
Bignoniaceae
Origin
Southern China and Taiwan
Mature height
5m to 10m
Canopy spread
3m to 6m
Growth rate
Fast
Foliage
Evergreen, glossy, finely divided compound
Typical lifespan
40 years plus
Root habit
Moderate, can be invasive near drains
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Need council approval? We handle the application.

Most councils will not accept a removal application without species identification, photographs and a stated reason. We prepare and lodge the lot, then carry out the work once it is approved. One call, one invoice, no forms to work out yourself.
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