KATSURA TREE

(species Cercidiphyllum japonicum), upright, gracefully branching tree native to China and Japan, and the only remaining member of the family Cercidiphyllaceae. It is a handsome ornamental tree planted widely for its broadly oval form; it grows up to 15 m (50 feet) tall in cultivation. The somewhat heart-shaped leaves are reddish purple when they emerge, turn green as they mature, and become yellow to scarlet before they fall. The species tends to branch at the base, but the variety C. japonicum sinense has a single trunk for several feet before branching. The katsura tree makes a good landscape specimen not only for its form and foliage but also for its relative freedom from insects and disease. Its wood is valued in Japan for lumber and general construction.