Koelreuteria elegans | |
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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 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 and in Hawaii.