''Koelreuteria paniculata'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Sapindaceae,

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

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 In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

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

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s 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 In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

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

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

s 5–8 mm diameter. There are several

varieties Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

: *''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 Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...

), 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 ...

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

regions all across the world because of the aesthetic appeal of its flowers, leaves and seed pods. Several

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...

s 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 The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nort ...

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 The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and particularly in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, 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