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Laburnum anagyroides is often confused with:
Koelreuteria paniculata Koelreuteria paniculata
Plants that fill a similar niche:
Aesculus flava Tree in full bloom
Euonymus europaeus Form
Vernicia fordii Vernicia fordii

Laburnum anagyroides

Phonetic Spelling
la-BURN-um an-ah-gy-ROY-deez
This plant has high severity poison characteristics.
See below
Description

The plant is a small deciduous tree or large shrub up to 30 ft 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 upper side 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 racemes 4–10 in long. The flowers are golden yellow, sweet-scented, and typically bloom in May.

The seeds are legumes with large numbers of black seeds that contain cytisine, an alkaloid extremely 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.

All parts of the plant contain cytisine and are poisonous if consumed.

 It is short-lived and not heat tolerant. Its leaves alternate, long-stalked with 3 leaflets; flowers pea-like, golden, in long drooping clusters; fruit a long, flattened pod, sparsely branched; loses lower branches.

See this plant in the following landscape:
Cultivars / Varieties:
  • 'Sunspire'
'Sunspire'
Tags:
#gold#showy flowers#deciduous#small tree#poisonous#yellow flowers#high maintenance#messy#large flowers#weed
 
Cultivars / Varieties:
  • 'Sunspire'
'Sunspire'
Tags:
#gold#showy flowers#deciduous#small tree#poisonous#yellow flowers#high maintenance#messy#large flowers#weed
  • Attributes:
    Genus:
    Laburnum
    Species:
    anagyroides
    Family:
    Fabaceae
    Life Cycle:
    Woody
    Country Or Region Of Origin:
    Central & South East Europe
    Dimensions:
    Height: 12 ft. 0 in. - 30 ft. 0 in.
    Width: 9 ft. 0 in. - 12 ft. 0 in.
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Poisonous
    Tree
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Deciduous
    Habit/Form:
    Erect
    Open
    Growth Rate:
    Slow
    Maintenance:
    High
    Texture:
    Fine
  • Cultural Conditions:
    Light:
    Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
    Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
    Soil Texture:
    Clay
    Loam (Silt)
    Sand
    Available Space To Plant:
    12-24 feet
    24-60 feet
    USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
    5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b
  • Fruit:
    Fruit Type:
    Legume
    Fruit Description:
    Fruit a long, flattened pod, dry and splits open when ripe.
  • Flowers:
    Flower Color:
    Gold/Yellow
    Flower Inflorescence:
    Raceme
    Flower Value To Gardener:
    Showy
    Flower Petals:
    4-5 petals/rays
    asymmetrical petals
    fused petals
    Flower Size:
    > 6 inches
    Flower Description:
    Flowers pea-like, golden, in long drooping clusters 6-10 in. pendulous flower racemes
  • Leaves:
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Deciduous
    Leaf Color:
    Green
    Leaf Type:
    Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
    Leaf Arrangement:
    Alternate
    Leaf Margin:
    Entire
    Hairs Present:
    No
    Leaf Description:
    leaves alternate, long-stalked with 3 leaflets 1.3-3 in. insignificant fall color
  • Bark:
    Bark Color:
    Light Brown
    Bark Description:
    The bark of an adult plant is thin and smooth.
  • Stem:
    Stem Color:
    Green
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
  • Landscape:
    Design Feature:
    Flowering Tree
    Problems:
    Messy
    Poisonous to Humans
    Short-lived
    Weedy
  • Poisonous to Humans:
    Poison Severity:
    High
    Poison Symptoms:
    All parts of the tree are poisonous: roots, bark, wood, leaves, flower-buds, petals, and seedpods. The harmful part of the plant is the seedpods. In many cases of ingestion of a small number of seeds, there are no symptoms. Where symptoms do occur these are usually nausea and vomiting. Higher doses can produce intense sleepiness, convulsive possibly tetanic movements, coma, slight frothing at the mouth and unequally dilated pupils. Nervousness, stomach and intestinal irritation with nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea; irregular pulse, convulsions, coma. HIGHLY TOXIC MAY BE FATAL IF EATEN!
    Poison Toxic Principle:
    Cytisine, an alkaloid
    Causes Contact Dermatitis:
    No
    Poison Part:
    Bark
    Flowers
    Fruits
    Leaves
    Roots
    Sap/Juice
    Seeds
    Stems