''Laburnum anagyroides'' (

syn. The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. * In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnae ...

''Cytisus laburnum''), the common laburnum, golden chain or golden rain, is a species of flowering plant in the subfamily

Faboideae The Faboideae are a subfamily of the flowering plant family Fabaceae or Leguminosae. An acceptable alternative name for the subfamily is Papilionoideae, or Papilionaceae when this group of plants is treated as a family. This subfamily is widely ...

, and genus '' Laburnum''. ''

Laburnum alpinum ''Laburnum alpinum'', the Scotch laburnum, Scottish laburnum or alpine laburnum, is a leguminous, (''Leguminosae''), deciduous tree. Description ''Laburnum alpinum'' is similar to '' Laburnum anagyroides'', it grows to by , at a fast rate. It i ...

'' is closely related. It is native to Central and

Southern Europe Southern Europe is the southern region of Europe. It is also known as Mediterranean Europe, as its geography is essentially marked by the Mediterranean Sea. Definitions of Southern Europe include some or all of these countries and regions: Alba ...

. The plant grows and flowers in damp and mild habitats, especially in the

calcareous Calcareous () is an adjective meaning "mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate", in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines. In zoology ''Calcareous'' is used as an a ...

soils of Southern Europe.

Description

The plant is a small deciduous tree or large shrub up to tall. It has smooth bark, dark green spreading branches and pendulous and pubescent twigs. The leaves are generally trifoliate and oval with long petioles, smooth on the upperside and hairy on the underside. It flowers during May and June. ''Laburnum anagyroides'' blooms in late spring with pea-like, yellow flowers densely packed in pendulous

raceme A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the sh ...

s 10–25 cm (4–10 in) long. The flowers are golden yellow, sweet scented, and typically bloom in May. The seeds are

legume A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock fo ...

s with large numbers of black seeds that contain cytisine, an

alkaloid Alkaloids are a class of basic BASIC (Beginners' All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) is a family of general-purpose, high-level programming languages designed for ease of use. The original version was created by John G. Kemeny and Th ...

somewhat poisonous to humans as well as goats and horses, especially when not ripe. However, some wild animals such as hares and deer can feed on them without any problems, and because of this the plant is believed to have magic properties in some regions.

Uses

The wood is hard and heavy, of a yellow/brown colour, ideal for making posts, for woodturning and as fuel. In the past (and today on historic re-enactments) it was used for making bows. The tree is also known as ''false ebony'' since the wood from very old specimens could be used in place of

ebony Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, coming from several species in the genus '' Diospyros'', which also contains the persimmons. Unlike most woods, ebony is dense enough to sink in water. It is finely textured and has a mirror finish when ...

Cultivation

''Laburnum anagyroides'' is cultivated 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 ...

. The most common

ornamental plant 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 ...

in the genus is a hybrid between this species and ''

'' — ''

Laburnum × watereri ''Laburnum'' × ''watereri'' (or ''Laburnum watereri''), is a naturally occurring hybrid species of ''Laburnum'', native to Central Europe. Its parents are common laburnum, ''Laburnum anagyroides'', and alpine laburnum, ''Laburnum alpinum''. A sm ...

''.

In culture

The English poet

Francis Thompson Francis Joseph Thompson (16 December 1859 – 13 November 1907) was an English poet and Catholic mystic. At the behest of his father, a doctor, he entered medical school at the age of 18, but at 26 left home to pursue his talent as a writer ...

described the ''laburnum'' in one of his poems: The writer J. R. R. Tolkien was inspired by the ''laburnum'' for his creation of Laurelin, one of the two mythological trees in ''

The Silmarillion ''The Silmarillion'' () is a collection of myths and stories in varying styles by the English writer J. R. R. Tolkien. It was edited and published posthumously by his son Christopher Tolkien in 1977, assisted by the fantasy author Guy Gavri ...

'', and Tolkien's description of it is strongly influenced by Thompson's verses.

References

External links

Pictures and environmental and botanical notes (in Italian)
{{Authority control Genisteae Trees of Europe Flora of Europe Flora of Italy Garden plants of Europe Ornamental trees