Tree · Sapindaceae
Golden Rain Tree
Koelreuteria paniculata
A hardy shade tree, throwing a midsummer show of papery lantern pods and bright yellow bloom.
Full sun
Every 7–14 days
USDA 5–9
30–40 ft · 9.1–12.2 m
Overview
Ever wonder how the golden rain tree got its name? Come summer, the whole crown fills up with loose sprays of small yellow flowers, and it's quite a sight. Once those fade, they turn into papery seed pods shaped like little Chinese lanterns that stick around into fall. It's a deciduous shade tree in the soapberry family, with divided leaves and a round, spreading head.
What wins most gardeners over is how easygoing it is. It shrugs off drought once the roots are down, doesn't mind clay, sand, or thin rocky ground, and takes cold all the way to -20°F (-29°C). Give it full sun and soil that drains, and it pretty much takes care of itself.
There's one thing to know before you plant it, though. This tree drops seed like crazy and sows itself all over the place, so much that it's gone weedy and invasive across parts of the eastern and southeastern US. If that's a worry where you are, just rake up the pods or pick a spot where stray seedlings are easy to yank out.
Care
The short version: it wants full sun, well-drained soil of pretty much any kind, and a good deep drink through long dry spells while it's 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 and you'll get the heaviest flowering, though it'll take part sun without much fuss. The more direct light it gets, the fuller that summer bloom turns out.
Water
Water a young tree regularly through its first year or two while the roots are still reaching down. After that it's drought tolerant and only wants a drink during long dry spells, so let the top half of the soil dry out between waterings.
Soil
Honestly, few trees are this laid-back about soil. It'll grow in clay, loam, sand, and even shallow rocky ground, all it asks for is decent drainage, and it's fine with a wide pH from 6.0 to 8.0.
Temperature
It's a tough, cold-hardy tree that's comfortable anywhere from -20°F to 100°F (-29°C to 38°C). That's a huge range, and it's part of why the tree has spread so far and wide.
Humidity
Regular outdoor air is all it needs, so there's no humidity number to keep an eye on. Good drainage counts for way more than anything happening up in the air.
Feeding
It hardly ever needs feeding. If growth looks a bit weak, one dose of balanced slow-release tree fertilizer in spring does the trick, since this tough tree isn't a big eater.
Pruning
Prune in late winter while it's dormant to build one strong central leader and take out any crossing, weak, or dead branches. The wood's a little brittle, so getting a solid frame early really pays off down the line.
Repotting
A tree in the ground stays put, so repotting isn't really a thing here. If it's in a container, only bump it up a size when roots circle the pot, water rushes straight through, or the top growth stalls out.
Size & spacing
Give it plenty of elbow room. A grown golden rain tree hits about 30 to 40 feet (9 to 12 m) tall and spreads out roughly the same, so keep it well clear of buildings and overhead lines.
When to plant
This is a long-game tree, not something you're racing a planting window for. Pop it in the ground in spring after the last frost or in fall, look for the yellow flowers in early to midsummer, and enjoy the lantern pods that come along and carry the show into 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 really doesn't give you much to fix. What does turn up is usually either a wilt disease in the wood or a harmless bunch of bugs on the seed pods. Match up what you're seeing below and step in while the tree's still going strong.
One side droops and the wood shows dark streaks
So one side of the tree wilts and there are dark streaks in the wood? That's usually verticillium wilt, a fungus living in the soil, and there's no cure for it. Canker or coral spot fungi can do the same to wood that's already stressed or wounded, and soggy ground can bring on root rot too. Your best move is to prune well below the damage, wipe your tools clean between cuts, and sort out the drainage so the tree stays strong.
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 crowding all over the seed pods
Those red-and-black bugs crowding the papery pods are the goldenrain tree bug, a boxelder cousin that's just after the seeds. They're a nuisance, not a real danger, so you can leave them be or wash them off with a strong spray of water or a bit of insecticidal soap. Raking up the fallen pods takes away the food that draws them in, and if any scale settles on the twigs, a horticultural oil sorts that out.
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
Good news if you've got pets or kids at home: this tree isn't poisonous. The name sounds scary, sure, but golden rain tree has no toxin in it and doesn't show up on ASPCA toxic-plant lists. Just don't mix it up with the genuinely poisonous golden chain tree, Laburnum, which is a whole different plant.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats Safe
A cat can brush past or nibble this tree and be totally fine, because there's no toxin in it that affects them. If one overdoes it on any greenery and coughs up a hairball or a bit of leaf, that's just normal cat stuff, not poisoning.
Dogs Safe
There's nothing toxic in this tree to worry a dog. A pup that chews on a fallen pod might get a little loose from all the roughage, but keep water handy and there's nothing else to do.
Horses Safe
Horses can graze right near a golden rain tree without any bother, since it holds no toxin that affects them. This is the harmless cousin of the dangerous golden chain tree, so all that Laburnum worry? It just doesn't apply here.
Rabbits Safe
The leaves won't poison a rabbit at all. Like with any new green though, start with just a little so a touchy tummy has time to get used to it.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep can share a pasture with this tree and be perfectly safe, because it isn't toxic to grazers. Sure, too much of any one plant can upset a stomach, but that's plain overeating, not poisoning.
Birds Safe
Birds have nothing to fear from the leaves or seeds, and honestly most of them just ignore the papery pods anyway. Backyard chickens can potter about under the canopy without any trouble.
People Safe
This tree isn't poisonous to people, and that scary-sounding name kicks up way more fuss than the plant ever will. That said, the seeds are grown for the show, not the dinner plate, so there's 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
You'll only run into a few selections at the nursery, plus one close relative that often gets sold right next to the species. Here's how to tell them apart.
'September'
This one holds its yellow flowers back until August and September, so you get the show weeks later than the usual summer bloom, though it does trade off a bit of winter hardiness.
Koelreuteria bipinnata (Chinese flame tree)
It's a close relative with twice-divided leaves and pretty rosy-pink lantern pods, and it runs more tender, so it's happier in warmer zones than the golden rain tree.
How to propagate
Odds are you'll meet your first golden rain tree as a self-sown seedling, because this tree multiplies with zero help from anyone. If you'd like more on purpose, you can start from seed or take root cuttings.
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's the funny thing: the tree sets seed by the bucketful and self-sows so freely that you hardly ever need to start it yourself. Want to raise one on purpose? Nick the hard seed coat, give the seed a stretch of cold, moist stratification, and sow outdoors in fall or in late winter to early spring. Seedlings pop up within weeks, but you'll wait several years before you've got 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 way to clone this tree, and named cultivars come from cuttings rather than seed so they turn out true to type. Just give a rooted cutting one to two growing seasons to settle in before you look for much top growth.
Myths
Golden rain tree? That's just the toxic golden chain tree, and it's risky for pets.
Sure, the names sound alike, but that's about all they share. Golden rain tree is in the soapberry family and doesn't show up on ASPCA toxic-plant lists, while the truly poisonous golden chain tree is Laburnum, a completely unrelated legume. Just check the botanical name, Koelreuteria paniculata, and you can plant this one without a second thought.