Koelreuteria paniculata in full bloom with golden yellow flower panicles

Koelreuteria paniculata

1L: H: 20-40cm
€9,50
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Koelreuteria paniculata in full bloom with golden yellow flower panicles
  • Koelreuteria paniculata in full bloom with golden yellow flower panicles
  • Close-up of lantern-shaped seed capsules of the Golden Rain Tree
  • Koelreuteria paniculata
  • Koelreuteria paniculata in full bloom with golden yellow flower panicles
  • Close-up of lantern-shaped seed capsules of the Golden Rain Tree
  • Koelreuteria paniculata
Koelreuteria paniculata

Koelreuteria paniculata

€9,50
Organic
Sustainable
Locally grown

Koelreuteria paniculata, also known as the Chinese Soapberry, is a small ornamental tree that is magnificent in every season but especially in the summer when it seems to entirely disappear beneath a mass of brilliantly yellow flowers.

Koelreuteria paniculata: the Golden Rain Tree in all its Glory

The mature silhouette is generously rounded, the lantern-shaped fruits are as unique as they are marvellous in dried bouquets and the beautiful autumn colours make it a standout in any garden. 

Flowering takes place in July and August, in the second half of summer, and is all the more spectacular when summers are warm. Initially pale green, these capsules turn brown at maturity in autumn. Each is divided into three lobes, each containing a round brown seed. 
Flowering July, August
Flower Color Yellow
Frost Tolerance -20.5°C
Size 6m H x 6m W
Soil Any soil
Origin China and Korea and Outer Manchuria
€9,50
In stock

🪴9x9 cm

🚂 Ships across EU
🌱 Grown in our nursery

👯‍♀️ Widens with age so it will need adequate space.
☀️ Sun Loving
Size
Gardening Tips

💧 Water regularly in the first two years to help establishment.
🐝 A strong pollinator magnet during flowering
⚠️ Self-seeds readily in warm climates

The Botany

Koelreuteria paniculata  is a small tree or large shrub of fairly rapid growth, reaching 6–7 m in height and almost as much in width.

It forms a single trunk and carries a broad, loosely spreading, globular crown supported by gnarled branches. Its bark is brown with fine orange-tinged fissures. The deciduous foliage is composed of pinnate leaves reaching around forty centimetres in length, each bearing lobed or toothed leaflets of approximately 10 cm. Their colour moves from a soft spring green through to deep summer green, before turning orange-yellow in autumn. In winter, the branches are bare.

At the tips of the branches, conical panicles 20 to 40 cm long appear, bearing small four-petalled golden yellow flowers that are greatly appreciated by bees. After pollination, these give way to lantern-shaped capsules measuring 3 to 6 cm long by 2 to 4 cm wide.

The Myth

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.

It carries the evocative name of Golden Rain Tree.

The fruits were once used in the making of jewellery.

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