Japanese Pagoda Tree

Japanese Pagoda Tree, common name for a deciduous tree (a tree that loses all of its foliage each year) that is native to China and Korea and cultivated worldwide, member of the legume family. It is also known as the Chinese scholar tree because it is traditionally planted by the graves of Chinese schoolmasters. In Japan, the Japanese pagoda tree is often planted around pagodas, or Buddhist temples. Cultivated throughout the United States, it thrives as far north as southern New England. It grows in a variety of soils, but prefers sandy, well-drained soil. It needs full sun and protection from strong winds.

The Japanese pagoda tree is typically 12 to 18 m (40 to 60 ft) tall. The crown (foliage and branches) of a mature tree may be as wide as the tree is tall. The bark is grayish brown and ridged. The compound leaves (leaves composed of several smaller leaflets arranged along a central stem) are 15 to 25 cm (6 to 10 in) long and consist of 7 to 17 leaflets. Their top surfaces are a shiny, dark green and the undersides are paler and covered with fine hairs. The tree’s whitish flowers bloom in late summer. They are no bigger than 1.25 cm (0.5 in) and grow in showy clusters that are 15 to 30 cm (6 to 12 in) long. The flowers develop into slender, bright green pods that are 5 to 7.5 cm (2 to 3 in) long. Each pod resembles a string of beads and contains one to six beanlike seeds. Over time, the pods’ color turns from bright green to yellow, and then to yellow-brown.

There are several varieties of the Japanese pagoda tree species. They differ in size, shape, flower color, time of blossoming, and hardiness. The weeping pagoda tree is popular as a garden ornamental, though it seldom flowers. It is a short variety with slender, drooping branches.

Scientific classification: The Japanese pagoda tree is a member of the subfamily Papilionoideae, family Fabaceae (formerly Leguminosae). It is classified as Sophora japonica. The weeping variety is classified as Sophora japonica pendula.