Katsura Japonica seeds

Katsura Japonica / Cercidiphyllum japonicum - a tree up to 30 m tall, usually growing from the base with several trunks, forming a powerful wide-pyramidal crown when standing freely. The bark is dark gray, fissured. Shoots are grayish-brown, young - brown, bare. Beautiful, heart-shaped leaves 5-10 cm in diameter, dark bluish-green on top, gray or whitish on the bottom, with reddish veins.

At the beginning of flowering, they are painted in purple-pink tones with a satin shine and are very effective against the background of other plants. In autumn, they are no less attractive with their crimson or golden-yellow color. At this time, there is a sweet smell - not caramel, not baked bread. Some people think that it smells like gingerbread or vanilla. In Germany, the lilac tree is called the "Gingerbread tree" for this feature. It is noteworthy that this sweet smell does not appear in all trees, and only when the foliage acquires an autumn color, disappearing during November.

The lilac is interesting for its original shape of the crown and leaves, their spring and autumn colors. It is recommended as a beautiful park tree in single and group plantings, for compositional groups, in indoor landscaping and for exotic lovers.
   
Location: when planting a tree in a permanent place, it is necessary to create good lighting, considering that, on the other hand, in young two-three-year-old seedlings, there is a danger of sunburn of the bark in the spring period in too bright a sun. The plant feels best on moist, fertile soil. The optimal soil acidity is weakly acidic or close to neutral (pH 5,5–6), but lilac can grow on both strongly acidic and alkaline soils. As a rule, the acidic reaction of the soil provides a more saturated autumn color of the foliage. The minimum level of groundwater is no closer than 2 m.