Japanese name: アメリカハナズオウ Scientific name:Cercis canadensis
[Overview]
A deciduous small tree 6–12 m tall.
It branches well, and the branches spread horizontally.
The leaves are simple and alternate, heart-shaped, 7–12 cm in both length and width, with a short pointed tip.
The leaf margin is entire.
The leaves have long petioles.
It flowers before the leaves emerge.
Very short pseudoracemes arise from the leaf axils of the previous year's branches and bear 4–10 flowers, but because the inflorescences are short, the flowers appear to grow in bundles.
The flowers are papilionaceous, about 1 cm long, reddish purple to pink; white-flowered plants also exist.
The fruit is a flat legume 5–10 cm long.
[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed, cuttings, or by division.
It prefers fertile soil that is sunny and well drained.
For plants less than 2 years after planting, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; for rooted plants, rainfall is sufficient.
Apply organic fertilizer around the plant as fertilizer in winter.
If pruning, do it while the plant is leafless.
There are no particular pests or diseases.
