The Katsura tree (Cercidiphyllum japonicum) is a beautiful, deciduous ornamental tree native to Japan and China, prized for its heart-shaped leaves, graceful form, and unique sensory qualities.
Key Features:
Leaves:
Heart-shaped, emerge reddish-purple in spring.
Turn blue-green in summer.
Brilliant golden-yellow to apricot-orange in fall.
When falling in autumn, leaves emit a sweet scent often described as cotton candy, caramel, or burnt sugar (due to maltol compound)
Pyramidal when young, becoming broad and spreading with age
Multi-trunked or single-trunk forms available
Bark:
Attractive, shaggy, gray-brown bark on mature trees.
Flowers/Fruit:
Tiny, inconspicuous flowers in early spring (dioecious—male and female on separate trees)
Small pod-like fruits on female trees (not ornamentally significant).
Growing Conditions:
Light: Full sun to partial shade
Water: Consistent moisture (especially when young); drought-sensitive
Fun Fact:
The Katsura is one of the few trees where the fall leaf scent is a major landscape feature—best noticed on warm, still autumn days.
