Koelreuteria elegans
| Koelreuteria elegans | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Taiwanese rain tree with fruit | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Sapindales |
| Family: | Sapindaceae |
| Genus: | Koelreuteria |
| Species: | K. elegans |
| Binomial name | |
| Koelreuteria elegans Laxm. | |
Koelreuteria elegans, more commonly known as the Taiwanese Rain Tree is a deciduous tree to 15-20 metres native to Taiwan. It is widely grown throughout the tropics and sub-tropical parts of the world as a street tree.
It flowers in early to mid-summer. Flowers are small, to 20 mm in length, and occur in branched clusters at the stem tips. They are butter-yellow with five petals that vary in length until opening. Each flower contains seven to eight pale yellow stamens with hairy white filaments.
The fruit is a brown-purplish three-lobed capsule that splits to reveal a number of black seeds.
It is a declared weed in many parts of the world, particularly Brisbane, Australia[1] and in Hawaii.
Flowers of K. elegans
Fruit of K. elegans
References
- ↑ "Weed Management Guide: Chinese rain tree – Koelreuteria elegans ssp. formosana". CRC for Australian Weed Management. 2003.