Koelreuteria bipinnata seed

Feathery compound foliage of bipinnate golden raintree is accentuated by airy clusters of yellow flowers in summer, and papery, pinkish tan seedpods soon thereafter. A rounded deciduous tree with an irregular branching habit with cracking grey bark, it hails from southwestern china.

Emerging leaflets are light green with a coppery cast. In late summer thin, wispy-stemmed clusters of yellow flowers arise from branch tips creating a lovely display above the dark green foliage. The individual flowers are small, four-petaled, and have a tiny orange speck at the petal bases. The pods that quickly form after being pollinated by bees are papery, three-chambered pods that are often called “chinese lanterns”, dangling from the branches. They are rosy-pink when young,  drying to be more a pale rosy-tan. A tree filled with the pods is perhaps as pretty as when in Flower. The seeds readily germinate around the base of the tree. In autumn the foliage can turn a quickly turn an inconsistent yellow before dropping.Bipinnate golden raintree is tolerant of many conditions and are great urban trees tolerant of pollution, heat, salt and drought. It excels in well-drained soil and full sun but will grow in partial shade. It has an open, rangy, leaning habit and brittle wood which breaks during windstorms or from heavy snow or ice. Prune while young to establish good branch structure and a tidy shape. It is great in providing broken shade to patios, as a street tree or in small gardens and landscapes Chinese rain tree – Chinese flame tree “Koelreuteria bipinnata”