The first tree looks fantastic for a one-year-old tree. I’m amazed that in winter it will lose its side systems and be a stick. For how many years will it do this?

I have a couple that have developed some side branches but the tallest one I have still just has a main trunk with those leaf stems that will drop in the fall. Maybe next year it will start developing real branches. I have no experience with this tree. I just started them from seed last year after reading about the nectar source they can provide honey bees during the dearth.

I supposedly have one in my yard, but for years I have thought the nursery shipped the wrong tree. The leaves make it appear to be the correct tree, but the bark is more striped than the smooth gray it should be. It has never flowered from what I can tell, and I have over the years on weekly occasions gone out to check the tree for flowers because many years I would all of a sudden see small round seed pods or the like on the tree?? None of it has ever added up except for the leaves. It is a nice-looking, probably 15' or more tree, but I wanted it specifically for the flowers since I have a heptacodium on the other side of the yard and thought they would complement each other with late flowers for the bees. The other odd thing about the tree is that it has very shallow and extremely yellow roots. I see your seedling does not have yellow roots. So between the bark and the roots, I don't think at the very least is it daniellii that I have.

Your seedlings look terrific and I hope you enjoy many of these trees for years to come!!!

There are a couple of videos on youtube that show a mature flowering tree. One of them show a tree that is 5 years old loaded with flowers.