After being raised in the backwoods of southern Illinois, Mother always dreamed of having a nice house in a forest – or at least a home with a lot of trees. What she got was a bare piece of hard clay in town. Being somewhat stubborn by nature (I’m being really, really nice here), she set about growing her own trees and creating her own garden. She was not only stubborn, but patient by necessity.

Not having any money to spare didn’t stop her. On trips back to Illinois, she’d stop and dig up a likely plant or tree; relatives, friends and neighbors knew she’d appreciate anything they didn’t want or that they could spare. By the time she passed away, the yard was shady, with flowers, shrubs and, of course trees. It only took her forty years.

The Golden Raintree

One of the most beautiful trees, certainly her pride and joy, was a Golden Raintree (Koelreuteria paniculata). Our next door neighbor, Mr. Smith, dug up a tiny seedling and gave it to her. She planted it where she could see it from the kitchen. Miraculously, Dad didn’t mow it down. It had a lovely, downward bending branch that even a tiny toddler could sit on and pose for photos: Easter, birthday, first day of school, school dances, proms and graduation pictures included the Golden Raintree in the background.

Around late May, upright panicles of bright yellow blooms covered it, shining against the green compound leaves. As the blossoms dropped to the ground, the grass was covered in gold. The papery, tan seedpods resembled little Chinese lanterns, rustling quietly in a breeze and staying on the tree through the winter.

History

Although native to China, in southern Indiana, we have a soft spot for the Golden Raintree – it’s closely associated with the very quaint town of New Harmony. Local legend says one-time resident William Maclure, a naturalist, introduced it to New Harmony in the 1830’s, when he sent seeds to his friend, Thomas Say, who still lived in New Harmony. Today, there are Golden Raintrees in New Harmony and all around the area. Shops and festivals are named in honor of the tree – we’ve adopted it as our own.

Golden Raintrees are fast-growing, up to 30 or 40 feet and maybe almost as wide. They like full sun, tolerate drought when established and grow in Zones 5 to 9. In cooler parts of their range, they aren’t considered invasive. In warmer zones, they can be a problem. They re-seed quite readily, but in my Zone 6b, you can just mow over the seedlings or easily pull them out of your garden bed.

They are lovely when used as a specimen tree, I’ve even read that they will grow in a container. I’ve also read they prefer well-drained soil, but ours grew just fine in the hard clay that passes for dirt around here.

Other species

Two other species, Koelreuteria bipinnata and K. elegans are also called “Golden Raintree” and look very similar to K. paniculata but put out even more seeds.

K. paniculata cultivars include “September” – discovered on the Indiana University – Bloomington campus – blooms late August to early September instead of late June / early July.   “Rose Lantern“ has rosy red seed pods. “Fastigiata” has a narrow, rather than rounded crown. “Summerburst” is more tolerant of summer heat and has glossy, dark green foliage. “Coral Sun” has lovely salmon pink new leaves which turn to green in summer, then erupt in fiery hues in autumn.

Mom’s Golden Raintree died before she did, but she couldn’t bring herself to cut it down. After she passed, I had to hire someone to cut it down, but couldn’t stay to watch it happen. In my mind, it’s still there, beautiful, golden, and graceful.

Stay Green, Good Friends!

PS – Thomas Jefferson actually introduced the Golden Raintree to the U.S. in 1763 – and he got it from a Frenchman!