Japanese pagoda tree

Value to bees

Nectar

High

Pollen

Moderate

As a honey crop

Minor honey crop — a surplus only locally or occasionally

Which bees, and why

Worked heavily by honey bees and bumblebees in August and September. As a widely planted street tree it is one of the more significant unintentional urban forage sources in European and American cities.

Worth knowing

A good late nectar source and moderate pollen, at a genuinely useful point in the season.

Flowering

In flower

July to September (northern hemisphere)

August and September in most of Europe, and among the latest-flowering temperate trees.

When nectar flows

Substantial from a mature tree, and valuable specifically for arriving after the main summer flows have ended.

Year-to-year variation

Trees must be mature to flower well, which takes a decade or more. Where they are planted in numbers as street trees the collective flow can be considerable.

Growing it

Conditions

Full sun, tolerant of drought, pollution and compacted urban soil, which is why it is planted along streets.

Size

15-25 m tall with a wide crown.

Native range

China and Korea, despite the common name. Planted widely as a street and park tree across Europe, North America and Asia.

Suits

Large gardens

• Takes ten to fifteen years to flower, so plant it for the long term.
• Exceptionally tolerant of urban conditions — drought, pollution and root restriction.
• The fallen flowers and pods make a mess on paving, which is the usual complaint against it.

What it looks like

A broad spreading tree with pinnate leaves and large loose panicles of creamy-white pea flowers in late summer, followed by distinctive constricted green pods like strings of beads.