Koelreuteria elegans

Koelreuteria elegans
Taiwanese rain tree with fruit
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Sapindaceae
Genus: Koelreuteria
Species: K. elegans
Binomial name
Koelreuteria elegans
Laxm.

Koelreuteria elegans, more commonly known as flamegold[1] or Taiwanese rain tree, is a deciduous tree to 15-20 metres native to Taiwan. It is widely grown throughout the tropics and sub-tropical parts of the world as a street tree.

It flowers in early to mid-summer. Flowers are small, to 20 mm in length, and occur in branched clusters at the stem tips. They are butter-yellow with five petals that vary in length until opening. Each flower contains seven to eight pale yellow stamens with hairy white filaments.

The fruit is a brown-purplish three-lobed capsule that splits to reveal a number of black seeds.

It is a declared weed in many parts of the world, particularly Brisbane, Australia[2] and in Hawaii.

Flowers of K. elegans
Fruit of K. elegans

References

  1. "Koelreuteria elegans". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  2. "Weed Management Guide: Chinese rain tree – Koelreuteria elegans ssp. formosana" (PDF). CRC for Australian Weed Management. 2003.
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