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| Online Flora of the Maltese Islands by Stephen Mifsud |
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Styphnolobium japonicum (Japanese pagoda tree) |
Styphnolobium japonicum (FABACEAE.)
Images for this profile are taken from the Maltese Islands after year 2000.
Website launch: Oct-2002
Taxonomic update: Aug-2026
Code update: Jul-2026 |
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| Nomenclature and General Information |
Species name : |
Styphnolobium japonicum(L.) Schott
Published in Wiener Z. Kunst 3: 844 (1829) |
Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.) |
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Plant Family : |
Fabaceae Lindl. (The Pea Family) Previously included in Leguminosae
106 species from the Fabaceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands. | English name(s) : | Japanese pagoda tree, Chinese scholar tree |
Maltese name(s) : |
Sofora taż-żibeġ, Siġra tal-Pagoda, Sofora |
Status for Malta : |
Naturalised Alien. Species that was introduced in Malta after year 1492 (Columbus' discovery of the New World)
and spreads and integrates to form established, non-invasive populations.
Species may become become invasive if it widespreads rapidly. |
Frequency : |
Very Common Common Frequent Scarce Rare Very rare Extinct |
Growth form : |
Germination type [info]: Dicotyledon
Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: Macro-Phanerophyte ( high trees usually over 5 m high ) |
Legal Protection : |
Not legally protected till the last update of this website (22/Aug/2025) |
Red List (1989) : |
Not listed in the Red Data Book of the Maltese Islands |
Flowering Time : |
July – October |
Colour of Flowers: |
Cream or White |
Toxicity: |
Not particularly toxic |
Name Derivation : |
Styphnolobium: ()
japonicum: ()
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Planting in rural areas : |
Can be planted in rural areas according to ERA Guidelines |
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Description, Habitat and Distribution | |
Botanical Description |
Deciduous tree, up to 20 m high. Leaves paripinnate with leaflets in 5-8 pairs; leaflets ovate to narrowly ovate, 25-50 × 12-20 mm, glaucous on lower surface. Flowers 10-15 mm long, rranged in a fragrant, upright panicle with white-cream corollas with a pair of yellow blothces. Pods 50-90 mm long, very constricted between the seeds resembling a string of beads. | |
Habitat in Europe |
Frequently planted for ornament and locally naturalized
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Preferred habitat in Malta |
Mostly seen in parks, gardens and traffic embellishment. Threr trees cultivated in Gozo managed to generate a small population hence indicating that it has the potential to naturalise
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Distributional range |
S.E. Europe
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Native region outside Europe |
E. Asia (including China)
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Distributional maps from various sources |
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Flora Europaea till 1993) |
Introduced in Czeck Republic and Slovakia, France (incl. Monaco and Channel Islands but excluding Corse), Romania
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Euro+Med Checklist till 2024)
Country codes
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[Ab(A N) Ar Cz Eg Ga(F) Gg(A) It Mo Rf(CS S) Rm Uk(K U)]
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| Links & Further literature
(0 papers) |
Google Web |
Google Images |
Google Scholar |
Research Gate |
Wikipedia |
JSTOR |
GBIF |
Med Checklist |
Cat. of Life |
EoL |
IPNI |
World Flora Online |
Plants of the World Online |
Vienna Virt. Herb. |
RBGE Herbarium |
KEW Herbarium |
MNHN |
Garden Database |
IUCN |
TROPICOS |
Kindly Email if there are papers and publications about local
studies or information about this species to be included in the list above.
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Sales and Donations
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Sales of seeds of wild plant from Malta: Seeds of selected wild plant species may be available for academic studies, research purposes, or personal use. Please note that not all species can be supplied or exported. Availability is subject to seasonal seed production, stock levels, and applicable regulations, including Maltese legislation and CITES requirements where relevant. Protected and endemic species cannot be sold (at least without the relevant environmental permits).
How it works: First, submit a quotation request by completing the Online Quotation Form (link provided on the right side of this table). Once your request has been reviewed, you will receive confirmation regarding seed availability, export eligibility (where applicable), pricing, and any transport charges. Payments are accepted by Revolut, bank transfer (IBAN), or PayPal only; credit and debit card payments are not accepted.
Please note that local orders are currently not being accepted. Seek Maltese nurseries and NGOs for local orders.
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Online Quotation (Seeds)
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Buy Images: Purchase photographs from this extensive online collection of Maltese flora by Stephen Mifsud. Images are available at reasonable prices, with rates varying according to image size and resolution. Your purchase helps support the maintenance and development of this website. When placing an order, please note the image code displayed beneath each photograph on the corresponding species page, as this is required when completing the online order form. Images are normally supplied under a license agreement, with copyright retained by the author; however, the sale of copyright for exceptional images may be considered on request.
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Online Purchase (Images)
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Atlas Flora Europaea
GBIF Distribution Map
WFO Distribution map
