Plant: Golden Rain Tree

Plant description

A fast growing, low maintenance shade tree reaching 30 to 40 feet tall and wide with a dense, rounded to vase shaped crown. Panicles 12 to 15 inches long carry bright yellow star shaped flowers with red centres in July, followed by papery three valved capsules that turn from green to yellow to light brown and hang like Chinese lanterns from August into winter. The feathery compound leaves are 6 to 18 inches long and turn gold yellow to orange in fall. It takes full sun in almost any soil across a wide pH range, tolerates drought, heat, wind, pollution and urban conditions, and works as a lawn, patio or street tree. Note that it has weak wood and self seeds freely.

Flowers

Panicles 12 to 15 inches long carry half inch, perfect, bright yellow star shaped flowers with red centres in July.

Foliage

Feathery, pinnately or imperfectly bipinnately compound leaves 6 to 18 inches long with 7 to 15 leaflets, the basal leaflets deeply lobed, turning gold yellow to orange in fall.

Fruit

A dehiscent, hollow papery three valved capsule like a three sided balloon or Chinese lantern, changing from green to yellow then light brown from August to October, each holding a hard pea sized black seed.

Bark & stems

Light gray brown bark with flat ridges and reddish brown shallow furrows; stout light brown stems zig zag and carry shield shaped leaf scars and raised orange brown lenticels.

Native range

China, Japan, Korea, and Manchuria

Plant details