of the Year. The coarse branch structure and stout stems prominently display the deeply incised pin- nately to bipinnately compound leaves which allow filtered light to penetrate the crown and pronounce season’s end in golden-yellow hues.
Goldenraintree is very drought tolerant once established and well suited to urban soil condi- tions including pH extremes (4.5-8.0), coarse to fine texture, and compacted soils with low organic content and fertility. It is also reasonably free of insects and diseases and requires little pruning to maintain a uniform crown symmetry and safe branch structure. In youth, the tree is irregular in form and the species has a propensity to develop a very pronounced trunk sweep, so hand selec- tion at nurseries is critical in selecting trees that are suitable for street use. While not inordinately susceptible to ice damage, the branch attachment on young stems is weak, rendering newly planted goldenraintrees prone to vandalism. I observed
this characteristic firsthand when my superinten- dent in Norfolk gently “leaned” on a lower scaffold limb on a 4-inch (10-cm) caliper park tree, sepa- rating the branch from its trunk collar.
The most widely available cultivar, ‘September’, displays hybrid-like attributes of goldenraintree’s close relative, Chinese flame tree (Koelreuteria bipinnata), both of which flower in late sum- mer (late August – early September). However, ‘September’ is reportedly less cold-hardy than the species (K. paniculata).
—David Sivyer, Forestry Services Manager, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
O
n West State Street near Meadow Street and on many streets in Ithaca, you will now see
the glorious yellow blooms of the goldenraintree. This small to medium-sized tree that hails from China, Japan, and Korea is one of the few trees that bloom in mid-summer.
New Koelreuteria pods www.urban-forestry.com
Goldenraintree foliage • Photo Courtesy Urban Horticulture Institute, Cornell University
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