Japanese Pagoda Tree, Chinese Scholar Tree (Sophora japonica)

Pictures

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

•  
  Appearance

  The Japanese Pagoda Tree is a medium-sized, light tree with a short trunk and rounded crown. Older trees produce flowers in loose, creamy white panicles. The fruits which are strung up like pearls on a string and have given the tree its German name ("string tree") only develop in mild winegrowing climates.

•  
  Spring

•  
  Leaves

  Odd-pinnate leaves, 10-25cm long, 5-10cm wide. Lance-like leaflets. Leaves are dark green above, blue-green below, turn yellow in autumn.

•  
  Leaf upperside

  Odd-pinnate leaves, 10-25cm long, 5-10cm wide. Lance-like leaflets. Leaves are dark green above, blue-green below, turn yellow in autumn.

•  
  Flowers

  Flowering period VII-VIII, yellow-white panicles up to 25cm long. Butterfly-shaped flowers. Flowers only appear after about 10-15 years.

•  
  Fruits

  Fleshy round-shelled pendent pod up to 8cm long. Fruits do not always fully develop.

•  
  Bark

  Green-brown bark, pale brown in the furrows. Branches are moss-green or dark green, surface sometimes furrowed.

Application

Soil improvement, forage for honey-bees, public areas, parks, urban areas, roadside verges, car parks, pedestrian precincts, private parks, only limited suitability in gardens, wind-break

Native regions

Eastern Asia, China, Manchuria, South China, Japan, Korea, Sakhalin, Taiwan

Location parameters

Light: full sun to slightly sunny, temperature: hot to normal, soil: dry to very fresh, soil structure: normal, soil depth: deep to very deep, compaction: to be avoided, soil quality: medium, pH value: 5.5 to 8.5

Demands

Sun, highly resistant to dryness, may be damaged by frost when young, bleeds in spring; important flowering plant in late summer; tolerates paving; must have permeable, sandy or loamy substrates; may be damaged by frost; salt-tolerant; limited tolerance of wind; resistant to industrial conditions.

Growth

Height of growth: 15m to 25m, spread: 12m to 15m, normal growth potential, growth habits: wide, spreading

Leaves

Odd-pinnate leaves, 10-25cm long, 5-10cm wide. Lance-like leaflets. Leaves are dark green above, blue-green below, turn yellow in autumn.

Flowers

Flowering period VII-VIII, yellow-white panicles up to 25cm long. Butterfly-shaped flowers. Flowers only appear after about 10-15 years.

Fruits

Fleshy round-shelled pendent pod up to 8cm long. Fruits do not always fully develop.

Bark

Green-brown bark, pale brown in the furrows. Branches are moss-green or dark green, surface sometimes furrowed.

Roots

Surface-rooting, heart-rooting, fleshy roots, expansive root system, no suckers, tolerates paving.

• Pests and diseases of this tree/shrub