Tree species: Cake tree (Cercidiphyllum Japonicum, synonym for Judas leaf tree)
Location: Kaiser-Friedrich-Park
Number: 12 trunks
Trunk height: 20 meters
Age: approx. 120 years
The tree was planted around 1900 - the foliage glows orange-red in the fall and forms particularly beautifully on acidic soils. The German trivial name "Kuchenbaum" (cake tree) is based on the perception that the leaves before leaf fall and the withered foliage in the fall smell distinctly of gingerbread (due to the flavonoids they contain). Scientifically, this very old species can be traced back to the Palaeocene and Eocene, i.e. around 66 million years ago. The cake trees are therefore a 'living fossil' like the ginkgo or the sequoia, for example. There are only two species in this genus: the "Great Katsura" is only found in Japan, the "Japanese cake tree" is also found in China, Taiwan and Korea. The trees are hardy in Europe.
