''Koelreuteria paniculata'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Sapindaceae, native to eastern Asia (China and Korea). It was introduced in Europe in 1747, and to America in 1763, and has become a popular landscape tree worldwide. Common names include goldenrain tree, pride of India, China tree,goldenrain tree
''Encyclopædia Britannica Online''. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 2008-07-12. and the varnish tree.

Description

It is a small to medium-sized deciduous tree growing to tall, with a broad, dome-shaped crown. The

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

are pinnate, long, rarely to , with 7-15 leaflets 3–8 cm long, with a deeply serrated margin; the larger leaflets at the midpoint of the leaf are sometimes themselves pinnate but the leaves are not consistently fully bipinnate as in the related ''

Koelreuteria bipinnata ''Koelreuteria bipinnata'', also known as Chinese flame tree, Chinese golden rain tree, Bougainvillea golden-rain tree, is a species of ''Koelreuteria'' native to southern China. It is a small to medium-sized deciduous tree growing between 7–2 ...

''. The flowers are yellow, with four petals, growing in large terminal

panicle A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are of ...

s long. The fruit is a three-part inflated bladderlike pod, 3–6 cm long and 2–4 cm broad, that is green, then ripening from orange to pink in autumn. It contains several dark brown to black seeds 5–8 mm diameter. There are several varieties: *''K. paniculata'' var. ''paniculata''. Northern China and Korea. Leaves single-pinnate. *''K. paniculata'' var. ''apiculata'' (Rehder & E.H.Wilson) Rehder (syn. ''K. apiculata''). Western China ( Sichuan), intergrading with var. ''paniculata'' in central China. Leaves with larger leaflets commonly bipinnate. *''K. paniculata'' ''var. fastigiata.'' Small growing columnar form originated in 1888. *''K. paniculata var. variegata.'' a form with variegated foliage.

Cultivation

It is popularly grown as an

ornamental tree Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...

in temperate regions all across the world because of the aesthetic appeal of its flowers, leaves and seed pods. Several cultivars have been selected for garden planting, including 'Fastigiata' with a narrow crown, and 'September Gold', flowering in late summer. In the UK the cultivar ‘Coral Sun’ has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

. In some areas, notably the eastern United States and particularly in Florida, it is considered an

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

Gallery

Fruits of Koelreuteria paniculata.jpg , Fruits KoelreuteriaPaniculataBark.jpg , Bark Koelreuteriapaniculatatatuape.JPG , Flowers & legumens in the top of a tree in São Paulo Brazil GoldenRain seedPodVertical.jpg , Seed pod, Butler County, Kansas GoldenRain seedPod leaves.JPG , Seed pod and leaves, Harvey County, Kansas

Notes

References

Plants for a Future: ''Koelreuteria paniculata''

External links

* Dosmann, Michael S., Whitlow, Thomas H., and Ho-Duck, Kang
"The (un)Natural and Cultural History of Korean Goldenrain Tree."
Arnoldia 64 (1) (2006). * Santamour, Frank S.and Spongberg, Stephen A
"’Rose Lantern’: A New Cultivar of Koelreuteria paniculata, the Golden-Rain Tree."
Arnoldia 56 (2) (1996). {{Taxonbar, from=Q844835 Sapindaceae Trees of China Trees of Korea