The Urban Pantheist

Scholar tree fruit.

( What we did today )

A group of seven pagoda trees planted along rt.9 in Brookline.

Pagoda Tree, Scholar Tree Styphnolobium japonica

It is with self-deprecating amusement that I'm posting this "new" urban species. The pagoda tree has been cultivated in North America since 1747 (preceding the United States by 29 years) and in Asia for at least 2000 years before that. It gets its common names from its association with Buddhist temples and the graves of learned men. In Asia it also has a long history of medicinal uses, which include everything from curing headaches to inducing abortions. Western medicine has identified some of the pagoda tree's components, testing them for use in treating inflammatory bowel disease and varicose veins. The yellow flowers (similar to, but less dramatic than those of black locust) can be eaten (caution is advised, as the whole plant is toxic to some degree) and can also be used to make dye.

The tree is tolerant of pollution and poor soils, making it a tempting choice for urban landscape architects who want to add an exotic accent to an open area (and don't mind the clean-up of hundreds of fallen pods). The foliage, like that of honey locust, consists of small leaflets, allowing sunlight to filter down to the turf below. The beanlike fruit is distinctive, with the pod pinched around most seeds, looking like pearls on a string.



( sources )

On this day in 365 Urban Species: Eyelash cup, an amazing and beautiful little mushroom that seems to give people the creeps.