OTHER COMMON NAMES: KATSURATREE, KATSURA

Cercidiphyllum japonicum   (ker-ki-dee-FILE-um jah-PON-ih-come)

Cercidiophyllaceae (Katsuratree Family)

Deciduous ornamental tree

HEIGHT:   40 to 70 feet

SPREAD:   30 to 40 feet

FINAL SPACING: 10 to 15 feet

NATURAL HABITAT AND PREFERRED SITE:   Native to China and Japan but adapts very well here in Texas to a variety of soils given some moisture and moderate fertility. It grows well in full sun but would benefit from afternoon shade.

IDENTIFICATION INFORMATION:  Neat, upright tree with delicate branching and leaf pattern, beautiful blue-green foliage with tints of red through the growing season.

FLOWERS AND FRUIT: Male and female flowers on separate trees (dioecious). Non-showy flowers. Fruit is a small, non-showy pod and also not showy.

BARK:     Young bark and stems are light brown and smooth. Older bark is shallowly furrowed and darker in color.

FOLIAGE:  Blue-green foliage with distinctively heart-shaped leaves, opposite, from 2 to 4 inches in length with a wavy margin. Purplish when young, bluish green above, lighter below in maturity. Fall color is usually yellow. Leaves resemble redbud leaves except they are opposite instead of alternate and the margins are wavy.

CULTURE:  Relatively easy to grow but does need moisture. Does not handle drought and drying winds very well and tends to get leaf scorch in the heat of the summer in full sun especially in the afternoon.

PROBLEMS: Few that are serious. Occasional insects and burning from the heat of summer if the beds aren’t healthy and mulched.

PROPAGATION:  Done by seed primarily because cuttings are hard establish.

INSIGHT:  This is a good tree for people to use around swimming pools and in other areas where neatness is a factor. Katsura has no messy flowers, fruits or large leaves to create a maintenance problem. The best specimen for you to see in north Texas is on the east side of the main building at the Collin County Community College in Plano, Texas. This is a tree that can stand some fairly moist soil.