General Culture:

Best grown in rich, moist, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Best in 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). Often has shallow root system.

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-green flowers appear in spring but are not showy. Pollinated flowers on female trees are followed by clusters of greenish pods (to 3/4” long). Cercidiphyllum japonicum f. pendulum is a top-grafted, weeping form that features an irregular cascading canopy of pendulous branches dipping toward the ground. It typically grows over time to as much as 15-25’ tall. Blue green summer foliage turns a quality shade of yellow in fall. Pendulous form provides some winter interest.