PAGODA TREE

any of several trees of erect, conical form suggesting a pagoda, particularly Sophora japonica, commonly called the Japanese pagoda tree, or the Chinese scholar tree. A member of the pea family (Fabaceae), it is native to East Asia and is sometimes cultivated in other regions as an ornamental. It grows 1223 m (about 4075 feet) tall. The alternate, compound leaves consist of 7 to 17 leaflets. The yellowish white flowers, about 1 cm (0.4 inch) long, grow in loose, showy clusters 3035 cm (1214 inches) long. The fruit is a pod 57.5 cm (23 inches) long. The pagoda dogwood is Cornus alternifolia, a member of the family Cornaceae; it is used in landscaping for its horizontal branching habit.