Katsura Tree Seeds | Japanese Caramel Tree | (Cercidiphyllum japonicum)

The tree that smells like brown sugar in autumn. Unforgettable in any season.

Cercidiphyllum japonicum, the Katsura Tree, is one of the most elegant and distinctive ornamental trees available in temperate horticulture, a Japanese and Chinese native that produces small, perfectly heart-shaped leaves in the softest spring green that emerges early in the season, matures to blue-green through summer, and transforms in fall to a combination of apricot, gold, and pale yellow that is followed by the most remarkable characteristic of any deciduous tree in the world. When Katsura leaves drop and lie damp on the ground, they release a scent of burnt caramel, brown sugar, and cotton candy that fills the surrounding air so distinctly that people stop walking, look around in confusion, and then look down. If you are looking to buy Katsura tree seeds or grow this extraordinary Japanese native from seed, this is the tree that surprises everyone who discovers it in autumn.

• Heart-shaped leaves emerging in spring pink-red, turning blue-green in summer and apricot-gold in fall
• Fallen damp leaves produce an unmistakable scent of burnt caramel and brown sugar in autumn
• Fast-growing shade tree adaptable to a wide range of soils and conditions
• Native to Japan and China, one of the most refined and elegant ornamental trees in temperate horticulture
• Multi-season interest from early spring leaf emergence through fragrant fall color

Things you probably did not know about the Katsura Tree

The caramel scent comes from maltol released by the dying leaves. The brown sugar fragrance of fallen Katsura leaves is produced by maltol, an organic compound formed as the leaves decompose. Maltol is the same compound responsible for the smell of freshly baked bread, caramel, and roasted malt. It is used as a flavoring agent in foods and is produced commercially for use in baked goods. The Katsura Tree is essentially making its own food flavoring as it drops its leaves.

It is a living fossil with no close living relatives. Cercidiphyllum japonicum is the only living species in its entire family. Its closest relatives exist only as fossils, with Cercidiphyllum specimens found in deposits from the Cretaceous through the Eocene across North America, Europe, and Asia. The family was once widespread globally and is now reduced to a single species in a corner of East Asia. Like Ginkgo and Dawn Redwood, the Katsura is a survivor of a world that no longer exists.

The leaves change color twice. Katsura leaves emerge in spring in shades of pink-red or bronze before settling into blue-green for summer. This spring color phase is one of the most subtle and refined of any ornamental tree, with the color shifting almost imperceptibly over two to three weeks as the leaves mature. Then in fall, the transformation to apricot and gold is accompanied by the caramel fragrance that no description fully prepares you for.

Multi-stemmed specimens develop extraordinary character. Katsura Trees grown with multiple stems from the base develop an open, layered crown structure with beautiful stem texture and natural branching that single-trunk specimens rarely match. Many of the finest Katsura specimens in botanical gardens are multi-stemmed forms that were allowed to develop naturally without training to a single leader.

Growing Details

• Botanical Name: Cercidiphyllum japonicum
• Stratification: Required, 30 to 60 days cold stratification, surface sow as seeds need light to germinate
• USDA Zones: 4 to 8
• Soil: Moist, well-drained, slightly acidic to neutral
• Light: Full sun to partial shade, best color in full sun with afternoon shade in hot climates
• Height: 40 to 60 feet
• Spread: 25 to 40 feet
• Growth Rate: Fast, 2 to 3 feet per year in ideal conditions

Plant it where you will walk past it in October. You will smell it before you see what is happening. Then you will stand there longer than you planned.