Styphnolobium japonicum

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from
Scholar tree
)

Styphnolobium japonicum
Styphnolobium japonicum tree
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Genus: Styphnolobium
Species:
S. japonicum
Binomial name
Styphnolobium japonicum
Synonyms

Styphnolobium japonicum, the Japanese pagoda tree[3] (also known as the Chinese scholar tree and pagoda tree; syn. Sophora japonica) is a species of tree in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae.

It was formerly included within a broader interpretation of the genus

black locust
.

Distribution

foliage and inflorescence
close-up of flowers

Styphnolobium japonicum is native to China. Despite its Latin name, the species was introduced in Japan and not originally found there. It is a popular ornamental tree in Europe, North America and South Africa, grown for its white flowers, borne in late summer after most other flowering trees have long finished flowering. It grows to 10–20 m tall with an equal spread, and produces a fine, dark brown timber.[citation needed]

Uses

History

Despite its name, the Chinese scholar tree was the official memorial tree of higher officials in Zhou dynasty China. The tombs of scholars were instead decorated with Koelreuteria paniculata.[4]

The

Guilty Chinese Scholartree was a historic pagoda tree in Beijing, from which the last emperor of the Ming dynasty, Chongzhen, hanged himself.[citation needed
]

Traditional medicine

the beans

S. japonicum (

50 fundamental herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine. Its fruits have stress resistance and antioxidant properties.[5]

Tea

The flowers and leaves are sometimes used for teas, such as by families in Laoshan Village,

Shandong Province, China. It counts as a variety of herbal tea.[citation needed
]

Construction uses

The wood is used to make the strong, springy curved "enju wood" handle used on the traditional Japanese woodworking adze, called the chouna.[6][7] Pagoda wood is very hard after drying. This makes pagoda products durable and long lasting. The pagoda tree trunk is generally composed of alternating ridges of light-brown outside layers and gray brown inside layers. This makes wood carving products, for example from the Hokkaido native Ainu people, very decorative. The Ainu are famous for their carvings of the Blakiston's fish owl.

Chemistry

The dried flower buds may contain as much as 20%

glycosides kaempferol-3-sophoroside and kaempferol-3-rhamnodiglucoside.[8] The fruit also contain the alkaloids cytisine, N-methylcytisine, sophocarpine, matrine and stizolamine.[10]

References

Citations

  1. ^ "Styphnolobium japonicum". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 19 February 2008.
  2. ^ a b c d "Styphnolobium japonicum – ILDIS LegumeWeb". Retrieved 19 February 2008.
  3. ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Styphnolobium japonicum". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
  4. ISBN 0-8122-1070-0.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link
    )
  5. PMID 31331055
    .
  6. ^ "Japanese axes and adzes". Robin Wood. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
  7. ^ "Beautiful axes, Japanese carpentry tools".
  8. ^
    ISBN 978-3-642-73741-1
    .
  9. PMID 24082349
    .
  10. ISBN 978-0-939616-82-4
    .

General references

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Styphnolobium japonicum.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Styphnolobium_japonicum&oldid=1216745632"