Koelreuteria paniculata

Koelreuteria paniculata, also known as Pride of India , carries the evocative name Golden Rain tree, as its vegetation seems to disappear under a mass of brilliantly yellow flowers during hot summers. It is a small tree that is also very ornamental due to its generously rounded silhouette, its lantern-shaped fruits, and its beautiful autumn colours. It is also very easy to grow in almost all soils. As it spreads with age, this Golden Rain Tree will be perfect as a specimen in a medium-sized garden, or planted as an avenue in a park.

Koelreuteria paniculata is native to China and Korea, it belongs to the Sapindaceae family just like horse chestnuts. It is a small tree or a large bush with fairly rapid growth, reaching  6-7m (19 ft 8 in-23 ft) in height and almost as much in width. It forms a single trunk and carries a wide, softly spreading and rounded crown supported by twisted branches. Its bark is brown, with fine orange-coloured striations. The deciduous foliage is composed of pinnate leaves reaching about 40cm (15.7 in) long. Each leaflet is lobed or dentate and about 10 cm (3.9 in) long. Their colour changes from tender spring green to dark summer green, before turning to yellow-orange in autumn. In winter, the branches are naked. Flowering takes place in July-August, in the second part of the summer, and will be all the more spectacular during a hot summer.  Conical panicles of flowers, measuring 20 to 40cm (7.9 to 15.7 in) in length, appear at the end of the branches holding small flowers, each with 4 golden yellow petals, and very much appreciated by bees. After pollination, they bare capsules shaped like lanterns, measuring 3 to 6cm (1.2 to 2.4 in) long by 2 to 4 cm wide. Initially pale green, these capsules become brown when ripe in autumn. Each capsule is divided into 3 lobes, each containing a round brown seed. These unusual fruits, once used for jewellery making, can stay on the tree until spring.

The Golden Rain Tree is a rewarding and easy-to-care-for ornamental small tree, which will require some space. It can be planted as a specimen, or in a clear area of the garden or on a property boundary where you can enjoy all its characteristics. In mixed planting, it could be associated with Japanese Sophora, the Persian Ironwood, the Judas tree or the exceptional Carpinus betulus Rockhampton Red.