General Culture:

Best grown in rich, moist, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Tolerates full sun, but has little tolerance for drought particularly when young. Best sited in a location protected from strong winds and hot afternoon sun. This is a dioecious tree (male and female flowers on separate trees).

Noteworthy Characteristics:

Cercidiphyllum japonicum is native to Japan and China. It is commonly called katsura tree. It is a deciduous, single or multi-trunked, understory tree with a dense, rounded habit. It typically matures to 40-60’ in cultivation, but can reach 100’ or more in the wild. It is grown for its beautiful shape and its attractive foliage. Round-oval leaves (to 4” long) resemble those of a small redbud (Cercis is redbud genus and phyllon is Greek for leaf). Leaves emerge reddish purple in spring, mature to medium green with a slight bluish tinge in summer and turn quality shades of gold, orange and red in fall. Although not aromatic, the fallen autumn leaves have been varyingly described as smelling of cinnamon, burnt sugar or ripe apples. Tiny reddish flowers appear in spring but are not showy. Pollinated flowers on female trees are followed by clusters of greenish pods (to 3/4” long). ‘Heronswood Globe’ was introduced into culture by Heronswood Nursery in Washington in 1991. It is noted for its dense globular compact habit. Although it is often described as a dwarf selection, it may over time grow to as much as 15-20’ tall. Trees typically grow 8-15’ tall and as wide over the first 10 years.