MELBOURNE STREET TREES 178 - KOELREUTERIA

Koelreuteria paniculata is a species of flowering plant in the family Sapindaceae, native to eastern Asia, in China and Korea. Common names include golden rain tree, pride of India, China tree, or varnish tree.

It is a small to medium-sized deciduous tree growing to 7 m tall, with a broad, dome-shaped crown. The leaves are pinnate, 15–40 cm long, rarely to 50 cm, 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 20–40 cm long. The fruit is a three-parted inflated bladder-like pod 3–6 cm long and 2–4 cm broad, green ripening orange to pink in autumn, containing several dark brown to black seeds 5–8 mm diameter. There are two varieties: K. paniculata var. paniculata. Northern China and Korea. Leaves single-pinnate. K. paniculata var. apiculata (Rehder & E.H.Wilson) Rehder (syn. K. apiculata). Western China (Sichuan), intergrading with var. paniculata in central China. Leaves with larger leaflets commonly bipinnate.

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. The seeds are edible when roasted, but not commonly consumed. In some areas, notably the eastern United States and particularly in Florida, it is considered an invasive species. These trees are growing in the All Nations Park in Northcote.

This post is part of the Floral Friday meme,
and also part of the Skywatch Friday meme.