Last updated on December 21st, 2024 at 04:06 pm
The Golden Rain Tree. (Koelreuteria paniculata) A good looking small to medium-sized shade/ornamental tree. It will grow about 30-40 tall and wide. It is considered an invasive tree species in places where there is lots of rain and moisture. It produces lots of seed pods that are spread out during the fall season thus its invasive nature.
This is not a problem in the Southwest desert region due to the small amounts of rain we get during the growing season.
When does it bloom?
The blooms start in early June and last till late July and they are a nice medium to dark yellow. It is a fast-growing tree and in the right conditions will shoot out 2 ft. in a year’s time.
The Golden rain tree will produce pale yellow pods that will eventually turn a deep brown color. See the photos below.
The brown seed pods will eventually fall and produce new Golden Rain Tree seedlings.
What kind of soil does it like?
It will do well with any type of soil from sandy to caliche. However, it will do and look better if it is planted in good loamy organic soil. It can tolerate urban pollution and is a moderate watering tree once established.
Where to plant the Golden Rain Tree?
Make sure to give it plenty of room to grow. Plant if in full sun but partial shade will work but needs at least 5 hrs. of full sun. It will not grow as large as other shade trees but needs to be planted at least 15 ft. away from walls or fences, 20 ft is better. The root system is not overly invasive. It is a good shade tree for the desert Southwest and will lose its leaves during wintertime. At maturity, it will have a nice sphere-like shape.
Fertilize with a good tree /shrub fertilizer. A 16-8-8 analysis will work great. Do this about once per month during the first 1-3 years after initial planting. They will bloom in early June up until early August.
The Golden rain tree is considered an invasive tree as it will sprout new shoots when the seeds fall on the ground. However, in and around the southwest this is rare due to the lesser amounts of rainfall throughout the Southwest region.
It is considered a good shade tree for the southwest.
Did you know you can eat the tender shoots and leaves (boiled) of this tree? Read more about this at “Eat the Weeds” website.
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If you have any questions or enjoyed this post, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.
I saw this tree around! Didn’t know the details! Cool!
I knew it is a good tree for the Southwest. After doing research on the Golden Rain Tree I realized you can eat the shoots, leaves (boiled) and the seeds.
The last image is not a golden rain tree, leaves are wrong shape and looks like the flowers of a golden CHAIN tree. (Which are toxic, so don’t eat any part if it looks like that!)
You are right Stephanie. I have made changes to the image in question. The botanical name for the Golden Raintree is the Koelreuteria paniculata. The Botanical name for the Gold Chain Tree is Laburnum. Thanks for letting me know.