SOPHORA 



111 



J. Small, slightly hairy leayes. Evergreen Sumach (124) — Rhus 



integrifblia. 

 J. Larger and smoother leaves. Rhus ov^ta. 



Sophbra. The Sophoras form a rather large group of evergreen and 

 deciduous trees, shrubs, and herbs, but few of them are in cultivation in 

 America. The leaves are alternate, odd-pinnate, and in the different species 

 range in number of blades from 5 to over 50. The clustered white, pinkish, 

 purplish, or yellow pea-like flowers are in most species less than an inch 

 long, but in one of the evergreen species are nearly 2 inches long. The fruit 



Fig. 125. — Japan Pagoda Tree. 



Fig. 126.— Coral Bean. 



is a jointed pod, resembling a string of beads with a globular seed in each 

 joint. The evergreen species can be grown only in the Gulf states and 

 southern California. The commonest species in cultivation, Japan Pagoda 

 Tree (125) — Sophora japdnica — is a slow-growing, generally shrubby 

 plant with 11 to 21 oblong blades. The bark of the young twigs is green. 

 The cream-white clustered flowers bloom in the late summer. This some- 

 times grows to the height of 50 feet. 



[Seeds ; twig cuttings ; layers]. 



