Koelreuteria paniculata

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Koelreuteria paniculata
Foliage and flowers of var. apiculata
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Sapindaceae
Genus: Koelreuteria
Species: K. paniculata
Binomial name
Koelreuteria paniculata
Laxm.
Leaf of var. paniculata

Koelreuteria paniculata is a species of flowering plant in the family Sapindaceae, native to eastern Asia, in China and Korea. Common names include goldenrain tree,[1][2] pride of India,[3] China tree,[4] or varnish tree.[2]

It is a small to medium-sized deciduous tree growing to 7 m (23 ft) tall, with a broad, dome-shaped crown. The leaves are pinnate, 15–40 cm (6–16 in) long, rarely to 50 cm (20 in), 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.

The flowers are yellow, with four petals, growing in large terminal panicles 20–40 cm (8–16 in) long. The fruit is a three-parted inflated bladderlike pod 3–6 cm long and 2–4 cm broad, green ripening orange to pink in autumn, containing several dark brown to black seeds 5–8 mm diameter.

There are two 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.

Cultivation

It is popularly grown as an ornamental tree 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.

The seeds are edible when roasted, but not commonly consumed.

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

  • K. paniculata fruits

  • Bark of K. paniculata

  • flowers & legumens in the top of a tree in São Paulo Brazil

Notes

  1. ↑ "PLANTS Profile for Koelreuteria paniculata (goldenrain tree)". Natural Resources Conservation Service. United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 8 August 2011. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 UConn Plant Database
  3. ↑ RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 1405332964. 
  4. ↑ goldenrain tree.Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 2008-07-12.

References

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