The Katsura tree (Cercidiphyllum japonicum) is among my favorites #treetuesday features. it has great potential as an urban tree when planted in locations that serve its needs.
Its heart-shaped leaves are so very reminiscent of the Cercis (redbud) trees that the genus name for the Katsura is Cercidiphyllum or Cercis leaves. Japonicum, of course, means of Japan.
Spring and summer leaves display a blue-green hue. Autumnal leaves, as the following photos show, turn bronze to yellow.
Photos are of trees planted in ring around the tree lawn / green belt / hell strip between a church parking lot and the residential street which the church fronts. These trees are located in Roanoke, VA.
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Interesting photo showing progression of tree leaf color and senility. This depends upon where the sun strikes the tree. More sun means green leaves longer; shade means earlier coloration and ultimate senility and abscission. |
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| Quick reference for whether the tree is a redbud or a katsura is a look at its leaf arrangement along the stem. Redbud leaves are arranged alternately; those of the katsura are arranged oppositely. |
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| Here we see a variety of autumn leaf colors ranging from yellow-green to golden yellow to bronze and pink-bronze. |
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