Sophora japonica

The Japanese Pagoda Tree (Japanese Pagoda Tree; Sophora japonica) belongs to the legume family (Fabaceae). The original home of S. japonicum is not Japan, but China - presumably the north-eastern parts of the country. However, the species was first cultivated on a large scale in the Far East and is now spread worldwide. In many countries it is cultivated as an ornamental tree. In Europe it is planted in parks, along streets and in squares. The tree can grow up to 25 m high and can live for over 250 years. The strikingly hanging fruits of the Japanese Pagoda Tree can grow up to 12 cm long. They ripen from September to October. They are deeply constricted between the seeds ("cord tree"). The fruits are poisonous.

Sophora japonica is a medicinal plant of traditional Chinese medicine. The flower buds and flowers of the Japanese pagoda tree contain a lot of rutin (rutoside). According to the European Pharmacopoeia (Ph. Eur. 9), the opened flowers (Sophorae japonicae flos) are dried, with certain minimum contents of total flavonoids, calculated as rutoside, and of rutoside as drug.