The Chinese Scholar Tree

The Sophora Japonica or Japanese Pagoda is famously known as the Chinese Scholar Tree as the tree is the native of China but the name is derived from its counterpart Japan. The plant is fascinatingly beautiful with lovely frothy flowers in the season and gives beautiful pods making it more enchanting to look at. The tree is a street tree as it is known for its tolerance of urban pollution

Enchanting Sophora Japonica

The tree grows on a compacted soil up to a height of 40 feet having bright green shaded leaves which reminisces the fern leaf, having grouped in 10 to 15 leaflets. The Japanese Pagoda forms a attractive composition as a deciduous tree with the beautiful yellow leaves forming in the autumn season. Isn’t it a soothing feeling that we get when we see the golden yellow leaves falling down on the road and the crackling sound of the leaves is the music to the ears . The tree becomes more enthralling when it starts to flowering but it is so sensitive that it takes a decade to flower and yes the beauty of Sophora Japonica is worth the wait. The beauty of the flower cannot be explained in simple terms but needs an eye of a poet to admire and take in the beauty to relish with soul and spirit. The pinnacle of the flowering Sophora Japonica is its white pea like flowers that grow on the tip of the tree branches and grow up to 15 inches exuding sweet smell.

Ornament of the Garden

Sophora Japonica is considered as the ornament of a garden as it grows quickly into a 75 feet long tree having broad rounded crown providing shade in time of hot scorching sun. The late summer is the time when the tree starts to bloom and it continues all through the fall season. The beauty of the flowers on the Sophora Japonica is enthralling for a month after which the tree gives way to its seed pods which are attractive and unusual. The seed pods also adds to the beauty of the tree as it is 8 inches long and grows on the tree as a string of beautiful beads. The tree grows in tropical and hot countries with rich mineral soil to provide a good ground for the tree to develop into a blooming ornament to the garden it is sown in. The Pagoda tree is also known for its tolerance to water thus is planted to avoid floods. The timber from the trees is also used for making furniture. The leaves and flowers of the tree are edible but the pods of the tree are poisonous and have severe side effects like diarrhea. Yellow and green dyes are taken from the leaves for dyeing silk and batik

Why named Pagoda?

The tree is known as Pagoda as it is grown on the grounds of Buddhist temples which are called as Pagodas. In the earlier days some of the native Pagoda trees were planted in the gardens Kew near a Pagoda in 1761 by the Chinese Buddhist Monks. Thus the tree has been named as Pagoda since then.
A beauty is to be devoured with beautiful eyes to behold it forever in the soul and spirit!