Plant: Golden Rain Tree
Golden Rain Tree · Koelreuteria paniculata
Was $180.00
Size: 15 gal
Light
Bloom
Mature size
More about this plant
A fast growing, low maintenance shade tree reaching 30 to 40 feet tall and wide with a dense, rounded to vase shaped crown. Panicles 12 to 15 inches long carry bright yellow star shaped flowers with red centres in July, followed by papery three valved capsules that turn from green to yellow to light brown and hang like Chinese lanterns from August into winter. The feathery compound leaves are 6 to 18 inches long and turn gold yellow to orange in fall. It takes full sun in almost any soil across a wide pH range, tolerates drought, heat, wind, pollution and urban conditions, and works as a lawn, patio or street tree. Note that it has weak wood and self seeds freely.
- Full Sun
- Grows to 40 ft tall and 40 ft wide
- Blooms in summer
- Hardy in USDA zones 5-8
- Deciduous foliage
Plant description
A fast growing, low maintenance shade tree reaching 30 to 40 feet tall and wide with a dense, rounded to vase shaped crown. Panicles 12 to 15 inches long carry bright yellow star shaped flowers with red centres in July, followed by papery three valved capsules that turn from green to yellow to light brown and hang like Chinese lanterns from August into winter. The feathery compound leaves are 6 to 18 inches long and turn gold yellow to orange in fall. It takes full sun in almost any soil across a wide pH range, tolerates drought, heat, wind, pollution and urban conditions, and works as a lawn, patio or street tree. Note that it has weak wood and self seeds freely.
- Flowers
- Panicles 12 to 15 inches long carry half inch, perfect, bright yellow star shaped flowers with red centres in July.
- Foliage
- Feathery, pinnately or imperfectly bipinnately compound leaves 6 to 18 inches long with 7 to 15 leaflets, the basal leaflets deeply lobed, turning gold yellow to orange in fall.
- Fruit
- A dehiscent, hollow papery three valved capsule like a three sided balloon or Chinese lantern, changing from green to yellow then light brown from August to October, each holding a hard pea sized black seed.
- Bark & stems
- Light gray brown bark with flat ridges and reddish brown shallow furrows; stout light brown stems zig zag and carry shield shaped leaf scars and raised orange brown lenticels.
- Native range
- China, Japan, Korea, and Manchuria
