Tree · Sapindaceae
Golden Rain Tree
Koelreuteria paniculata
A forgiving shade tree that fills midsummer with sprays of yellow flowers and papery lantern pods.
Full sun
Every 7–14 days
USDA 5–9
30–40 ft · 9.1–12.2 m
Overview
If you are new to trees, the golden rain tree is a kind place to start. It lives up to its name each summer, when the whole crown fills with airy sprays of small yellow flowers, and once those fade it hangs papery seed pods shaped like little Chinese lanterns that stay on into fall. This is a deciduous shade tree in the soapberry family, with divided leaves and a rounded, spreading head that gives you cool shade to sit under.
The comforting thing is how little the tree asks of you. It shrugs off drought once its roots settle in, takes clay, sand, or thin rocky ground without a fuss, and stands the cold all the way down to -20°F (-29°C). Give it full sun and ground that drains, and it will more or less look after itself while you learn.
There is one thing to know before you plant, and it is easy to manage. The tree drops seed in great numbers and sows itself freely, so much that it has turned weedy and invasive in parts of the eastern and southeastern US. Where that matters, you can simply rake up the pods or choose a spot where any stray seedlings are easy to pull, and all will be well.
Care
The short version: give it full sun, well-drained soil of almost any kind, and a deep drink through long dry spells while it is young. After the first year or two it mostly looks after itself, and a light prune in late winter keeps the frame nice and strong.
Light
Give it full sun for the fullest flowering, though it will take part sun without complaint if that is what you have. The more direct light it soaks up, the richer the summer bloom you will enjoy.
Water
Water a young tree regularly through its first year or two while the roots reach down, and you are setting it up beautifully. After that it is wonderfully drought tolerant and only wants a drink during long dry spells, so let the top half of the soil dry between waterings.
Soil
Few trees are this easygoing about their soil, which takes a lot of pressure off you. It grows in clay, loam, sand, and even shallow rocky ground, asking only for decent drainage, and it copes happily with a wide pH from 6.0 to 8.0.
Temperature
This is a tough, cold-hardy tree, at ease anywhere from -20°F to 100°F (-29°C to 38°C). That generous range covers a lot of gardens, which is part of why it settles in so well in so many places.
Humidity
Ordinary outdoor air suits it just fine, so there is no humidity figure to fret over. Good drainage matters far more than anything going on in the air around it.
Feeding
You will rarely need to feed it at all, which is one less job to remember. If growth ever looks weak, a single dose of balanced slow-release tree fertilizer in spring is all it wants, since this sturdy tree is not a heavy eater.
Pruning
Prune in late winter while the tree is dormant to shape one strong central leader and to take out crossing, weak, or dead branches. The wood runs a little brittle, so a good frame built early will save you trouble down the road.
Repotting
A landscape tree lives in the ground, so repotting is not really something you need to think about. In a container, only move it up a size when roots circle the pot, water rushes straight through, or the top growth stalls.
Size & spacing
Do give it plenty of room to grow into. A mature golden rain tree reaches roughly 30 to 40 feet (9 to 12 m) tall and spreads about as wide, so plant it well clear of buildings and overhead lines and it will thank you.
When to plant
There is no frantic planting window to beat here, so take your time. Set the tree out in spring after the last frost or in fall, look for the yellow flowers in early to midsummer, and enjoy the lantern pods that follow and carry the show gently toward autumn.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: Late winter, after seed scarification and cold-moist stratification
- Plant: Spring after last frost, or fall
- Harvest: Summer (June to July; cultivar 'September' blooms August to September)
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 5–9
Temperature: down to -29°C
Troubleshooting
A happy golden rain tree leaves you with very little to fix. Most of what turns up is either a wilt disease in the wood or a harmless swarm of bugs on the seed pods, and both are manageable. Match what you see below and step in while the tree still has its strength.
One side wilting while dark streaks mark the wood beneath
Try not to panic if one side of the tree wilts and you find dark streaks in the wood underneath, since that pattern usually means verticillium wilt, a fungus in the soil that sadly cannot be cured. Wood that is already stressed or wounded can pick up canker or coral spot fungi too, and soggy ground can start root rot at the base. You can still help a great deal by pruning well below the damage, wiping your tools clean between cuts, and easing the drainage so the tree keeps its strength.
Fix:
- Prune out and destroy affected branches well below symptoms, disinfecting tools between cuts
- Improve drainage and avoid drought and mechanical wounding to reduce stress
- Remove severely declining trees, as there is no cure for verticillium wilt
Red-and-black bugs gathering thick on the papery pods
If red-and-black bugs gather on the papery pods, take a breath, because those are the goldenrain tree bug, a boxelder relative that simply feeds on the seeds. They are far more of a nuisance than a real worry, so you can happily leave them alone, or rinse them off with a firm spray of water or a little insecticidal soap. Gathering up the fallen pods removes the food that pulls them in, and a horticultural oil takes care of any scale that settles on the twigs.
Fix:
- Tolerate the bugs where possible, as they are a nuisance rather than a serious threat to tree health
- Knock bugs off or spray congregations with a strong stream of water or insecticidal soap
- Treat heavy scale infestations with horticultural oil
Toxicity
Here is good news for homes with pets and children: this tree is not poisonous. The name sounds alarming, but golden rain tree carries no toxin and stays off the ASPCA toxic-plant lists. Just be careful not to mix it up with the genuinely poisonous golden chain tree, Laburnum, which is a completely different plant.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats Safe
You can relax around a curious cat, since this tree holds no toxin that would harm one that brushes past or takes a nibble. A cat that overdoes it on any greenery may cough up a hairball or a bit of leaf, and that is perfectly normal rather than a sign of poisoning.
Dogs Safe
Your dog is in no danger here, because nothing in this tree is toxic to them. A pup that gnaws on a fallen pod might get briefly loose stools from all the roughage, so just keep fresh water nearby and there is nothing else to treat.
Horses Safe
Horses can graze happily near a golden rain tree, as it carries no toxin that troubles them. This is only the harmless cousin of the dangerous golden chain tree, so the fear that follows Laburnum simply has no place here.
Rabbits Safe
You need not worry about rabbits, as the leaves carry no poisoning risk for them. Still, with any fresh green, offer just a little at first so a delicate gut has time to settle in.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep can share a pasture with this tree in complete safety, since it is not toxic to grazing animals. A stomach can grumble when an animal browses too much of any one plant, but that is simple overeating and nothing to fear.
Birds Safe
Birds have nothing to fear from the leaves or seeds, and most will pass the papery pods by anyway. Your backyard chickens can scratch about beneath the canopy without a care.
People Safe
This tree is not poisonous to people, and honestly the common name frightens folks far more than the plant ever could. The seeds are grown for their looks rather than the table, so there is simply no reason to eat them.
No special handling required; as with any plant, discourage pets and children from chewing on foliage or seed pods to avoid mild stomach upset.
Varieties
Only a handful of selections show up in the trade, and one close relative often gets sold right alongside the species. These are the ones worth learning to tell apart.
'September'
This selection saves its yellow flowers for August and September, so you get the show weeks later than the usual summer bloom, though it does trade away a touch of winter hardiness in the trade.
Koelreuteria bipinnata (Chinese flame tree)
A close cousin with twice-divided leaves and pretty rosy-pink lantern pods, it leans more tender and feels at home in warmer zones than the golden rain tree does.
How to propagate
Your first golden rain tree may well arrive on its own as a self-sown seedling, since this tree multiplies with no help from you at all. When you want more on purpose, you can start from seed or take root cuttings, and neither is beyond a beginner.
SeedModerate
Sow in fall outdoors, or stratify and sow in late winter to early spring · Seedlings appear in weeks; several years to a sizable tree
Here is the reassuring part: the tree sets seed by the bucketful and self-sows so freely that you seldom need to start it on purpose. If you would like to raise one deliberately, nick the hard seed coat and give the seed a cold, moist stratification, sowing outdoors in fall or in late winter to early spring. Little seedlings push up within weeks, so be patient and count on several years before you have a tree of any real size.
Stem cuttingsModerate
Dormant season for root cuttings · One to two growing seasons
Root cuttings taken in the dormant season are the usual, dependable way to clone this tree, and named cultivars come from cuttings rather than seed so they stay true to type. Give a rooted cutting one to two growing seasons to settle in before you look for much top growth, and it will reward the wait.
Myths
The golden rain tree really counts as the toxic golden chain tree, so it threatens pets.
The names sound close, but that is where the likeness ends. Golden rain tree belongs to the soapberry family and stays off the ASPCA toxic-plant lists, while the truly poisonous golden chain tree is Laburnum, an unrelated legume. Keep the botanical name Koelreuteria paniculata in mind and you can plant this one with an easy heart.