Golden-rain-tree Koelreuteria paniculata
Other Common Name(s):
Previously known as:
- Koelreuteria apiculata
- Koelreuteria chinensis
- Koelreuteria japonica
- Sapindus chinensis
- Sapindus paniculata
- Phonetic Spelling
- kol-ru-TEE-ri-a pan-ik-u-LA-ta
- Description
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The golden rain tree is a medium-sized deciduous tree in the Sapindaceae (soapberry) family. It is a great urban flowering tree that tolerates drought, heat, wind, and air pollution and grows 30 to 40 feet tall high and equally as wide. It has spreading branches but a rounded crown. This tree has a medium to fast growth rate and transplants and self-seeds easily.
It flowers at an early age with a display of summer yellow flowers that produce a fireworks show of bright color. When the blooms are finished and the petals drop to the ground resembling a "Golden Rain" blanket, hence the common name. The yellow color is echoed in the feathery compound leaves come fall, but it is inconsistent, so not particularly showy. The fruit display is very distinctive with three-parted dry tan capsules, and these showy fruits are sometimes used in dried arrangements.
The golden rain tree is native to China, Japan, Korea, and Manchuria. It was first introduced to North America in 1763. It is currently on the National Park Service, Mid-Atlantic Exotic Plant Management Team Invasive Plant List.
The genus name, Koelreuteria, is in honor of Joseph Gottlieb Koelreuter who was a German professor of botany and experimented with plant hybridization in the 18th century. The specific epithet, paniculata, refers to the tree's panicle-like floral inflorescence.
Plant this soil-adaptable tree in full sun. While it tolerates a range of soil types it prefers moist, well-drained, and acidic to alkaline soils. It is tolerant to drought and urban air pollution. This tree is mildly resistant to damage by deer.
Golden rain tree works well planted on a lawn or park or near a patio, though consider the flower and leaf litter if planted near any hardscape. Use it to shade children's gardens where the flowers and fruits can be enjoyed. It may also be used as a shade tree or street tree. This tree can escape cultivation and naturalizes in various conditions. You may wish to consider a native plant alternative.
Seasons of Interest:
Bark; Winter Bloom: Summer Foliage: Summer and Fall Fruits: Summer, Fall, and Winter
Quick ID Hints:
- 12 to 15-inch long panicles of yellow star-shaped flowers that bloom in mid-summer.
- Sparsely branched small tree rounded form
- Fruits are dehiscent, papery, and 3-valved
- Stems also have prominent, shield-shaped leaf scars. Prominent hairy buds and twigs have orange-brown lenticels
- Leaves are pinnately compound, 6 to 18-inches long, and have 7-15 leaflets
- Leaflets near the leaf base are deeply lobed
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: The golden rain tree has no serious insect or disease problems. It may sometimes suffer from coral spot fungus, root rot, and cankers. Verticillium wilt may cause wilting of the leaves and can eventually kill the tree. Occasionally scales may be seen, and the boxelder bug can be problematic. It reseeds easily and can become weedy. It tends to have brittle wood so can be damaged in storms or during the winter.
VIDEO created by Grant L. Thompson for “Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines for Landscaping” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Horticulture at Iowa State University.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- 'Fastigiata'
Narrow upright 30' tall 6' wide - 'September'
Blooms later August-September but not as cold hardy
- 'Fastigiata'
- 'Fastigiata', 'September'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Fastigiata'
Narrow upright 30' tall 6' wide - 'September'
Blooms later August-September but not as cold hardy
- 'Fastigiata'
- 'Fastigiata', 'September'
- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Koelreuteria
- Species:
- paniculata
- Family:
- Sapindaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Root Cutting
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- China, Japan, Korea, and Manchuria
- Distribution:
- Native: China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Japan, Korea, and Manchuria. Introduced: Austria, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Great Britain, Hungary, India, Italy, Romania, Spain, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yugoslavia, and the United States--AL, DE, FL, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, MA, MO, NJ, NY, NC OH, PA, TN, TX, UT, VA, and WV.
- Wildlife Value:
- Nectar from the flowers attracts bees.
- Play Value:
- Attractive Flowers
- Shade
- Wildlife Food Source
- Dimensions:
- Height: 30 ft. 0 in. - 40 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 30 ft. 0 in. - 40 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Perennial
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Dense
- Erect
- Rounded
- Spreading
- Vase
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Medium
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- High Organic Matter
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Shallow Rocky
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Alkaline (>8.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Occasionally Dry
- Very Dry
- Available Space To Plant:
- 12-24 feet
- 24-60 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Good Dried
- Showy
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Summer
- Winter
- Fruit Type:
- Capsule
- Fruit Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Fruit Description:
- The fruit is a 1.5 to a 2-inch long dehiscent, hollow papery, 3-valved capsule that looks like a three-sided balloon or Chinese lantern. It changes from green to yellow, and then light brown and persists into winter making for a good show. It has a hard, pea-sized black seed inside. The dried capsules work well in flower arrangements. The fruits are present from August to October.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Panicle
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Summer
- Flower Shape:
- Star
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- The blooms appear in large 12 to 15-inch panicles. Each flower is 0.5 inches wide, perfect, bright yellow, and star-shaped with red centers. Blooming occurs in July. The falling blossoms form a golden carpet beneath the tree.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Purple/Lavender
- Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Orange
- Leaf Type:
- Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Oblong
- Ovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Crenate
- Lobed
- Serrate
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Length:
- > 6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Interesting unusually shaped feathery pinnately or bipinnately compound alternate leaves that are 6 to 18 inches long. There are 7-15 leaflets, each one ovate to ovate-oblong, that grows 1 to 4 inches long. Margins are irregularly crenate-serrate on lobes. Leaflets near the base are deeply lobed, giving the leaf the appearance of being bipinnately compound. Leaves are vivid green above, and the veins underneath can be pubescent. New leaves are pinkish bronze to purple and turn green as they mature. The fall color is variable but golden yellow.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Light Brown
- Light Gray
- Surface/Attachment:
- Furrowed
- Lenticels
- Ridges
- Bark Description:
- The bark is light gray-brown with flat ridges and reddish-brown shallow furrows. It has an irregular texture giving it an ornamental appeal. Lenticels are gray to dark brown.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Buds:
- Hairy
- Stem Form:
- Zig Zags
- Stem Leaf Scar Shape:
- Heart or shield shaped
- Stem Lenticels:
- Conspicuous
- Stem Surface:
- Hairy (pubescent)
- Stem Description:
- Stems are light brown, stout, prominent, and either glabrous or have appressed pubescence. They have shield-shaped leaf scars and raised orange-brown, conspicuous lenticels. Buds are large and have tufts of hair at the top. There are usually no terminal buds. The lateral buds are sessile, half-ellipsoid, two-sided, brown, and 0.25 inches long.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Lawn
- Patio
- Pool/Hardscape
- Recreational Play Area
- Small Space
- Landscape Theme:
- Children's Garden
- Cottage Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Design Feature:
- Flowering Tree
- Shade Tree
- Specimen
- Street Tree
- Attracts:
- Bees
- Pollinators
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Drought
- Heat
- Pollution
- Urban Conditions
- Wind
- Problems:
- Weak Wood
- Weedy