Koelreuteria paniculata explained

Koelreuteria paniculata is a species of flowering plant in the family Sapindaceae, native to China. Naturalized in Korea and Japan since at least the 1200s,^[1] it was introduced in Europe in 1747, and to America in 1763, and has become a popular landscape tree worldwide.^{[2] [3]} Common names include goldenrain tree,^[4] pride of India,^[5] China tree,^[6] and the varnish tree.^[7]

Description

It is a small to medium-sized deciduous tree growing to 70NaN0 tall, with a broad, dome-shaped crown. The leaves are pinnate, 15- long, rarely to 50cm (20inches), 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- long.^[8] The fruit is a three-part inflated bladderlike pod, 3–6 cm long and 2–4 cm broad, that is green, then ripening from orange to pink in autumn. It contains several dark brown to black seeds 5–8 mm diameter.

Taxonomy

Publication

First published in 1772, in the 1771 edition of Novi commentarii academiae scientiarum imperialis Petropolitanae, attributed to Erik Laxmann.^{[9] [10]}

Varieties

Several varieties have been described:

• K. paniculata var. paniculata. Northern China and Korea. Leaves single-pinnate.
• K. paniculata var. apiculata (Rehder & E.H.Wilson) Rehder (syn. K. apiculata).^[11] Western China (Sichuan), intergrading with var. paniculata in central China. Leaves with larger leaflets commonly bipinnate.
• K. paniculata var. fastigiata. Small growing columnar form originated in 1888.^[12]
• K. paniculata var. variegata. a form with variegated foliage.

But none of them are accepted.

Cultivation

K. paniculata has been cultivated since ancient times. In the Zhou dynasty it was one of the five official memorial trees (alongside P. tabuliformis, P. orientalis, S. japonicum and certain Poplars), being planted next to the tombs of scholars.^[13]

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.

In the UK the cultivar ‘Coral Sun’ has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.^{[14] [15]}

In some areas, notably the eastern United States and particularly in Florida, it is considered an invasive species.^[16]

References

• Plants for a Future: Koelreuteria paniculata
• Koelreuteria paniculata images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu

External links

• Dosmann, Michael S., Whitlow, Thomas H., and Ho-Duck, Kang. "The (un)Natural and Cultural History of Korean Goldenrain Tree." Arnoldia 64 (1) (2006).
• Santamour, Frank S.and Spongberg, Stephen A. "’Rose Lantern’: A New Cultivar of Koelreuteria paniculata, the Golden-Rain Tree." Arnoldia 56 (2) (1996).

Notes and References

1. Meyer . F.G. . April 1976 . A Revision of the Genus Koelreuteria (Sapindaceae) . . 57 . 2 . 129-141,146-153 . 10.5962/p.185862 . Biodiversity Heritage Library; Internet Archive. free .
2. Web site: Golden Rain Tree Koelreuteria paniculata. Monrovia. 10 July 2017.
3. Web site: Goldenraintree Tree on the Tree Guide at arborday.org . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150321045749/https://www.arborday.org/trees/treeguide/TreeDetail.cfm?ItemID=841 . 2015-03-21 . 2017-07-10 . Arbor Day Foundation.
4. Web site: PLANTS Profile for Koelreuteria paniculata (goldenrain tree). Natural Resources Conservation Service. United States Department of Agriculture. 8 August 2011.
5. Book: RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. 2008. Dorling Kindersley. United Kingdom. 978-1405332965. 1136.
6. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/237829/goldenrain-tree goldenrain tree
7. http://www.hort.uconn.edu/Plants/k/koepan/koepan1.html UConn Plant Database
8. Web site: Golden rain tree: Staatliche Schlösser und Gärten Baden-Württemberg . 2024-03-03 . www.botanischer-garten-karlsruhe.de . en.
9. 783426-1 . Koelreuteria paniculata Laxm. . 8 February 2024.
10. Laxmann . E. . 1772 . KOELREVTERIA PANICVLATA, NOVVM PLANTARVM GENVS. . Novi Commentari Academiae Scientiarum Imperialis Petropolitanae . 16 . 561–564 . Internet Archive.
11. Book: Sargent, Charles. Plantae Wilsonianae : An enumeration of the woody plants collected in western China for the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University during the years 1907, 1908, and 1910 by E. H. Wilson.. University Press. 1916. Cambridge (Mass). 191–193.
12. Book: More, David . Cassell's trees of Britain & Northern Europe . 2003 . Cassell . John White . 0-304-36192-5 . London . 711 . 47232390.
13. Book: Li, Hui-Lin . The Origin and Cultivation of Shade and Ornamental Trees . 1974 . . 1974 . 0-8122-1070-0 . Pennsylvania, United States . 20-22,44,191,201,218 . en.
14. Web site: RHS Plantfinder - Koelreuteria paniculata 'Coral Sun' . 18 March 2018.
15. Web site: AGM Plants - Ornamental . July 2017 . 57 . Royal Horticultural Society . 17 March 2018.
16. Web site: City of Jacksonville Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services . 2021 . 2021 Tree Hill Nature Center Management Plan . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220706181405/https://floridadep.gov/sites/default/files/20210902_Tree_Hill_Nature_Preserve_MP.pdf . 6 July 2022 . 4 April 2024 . Florida Department of Environmental Protection.