Golden Rain Tree at Watson Green Space
Identification history
| Koelreuteria paniculata | 10 Feb 2024 | abread111 | ||
| Koelreuteria elegens subsp. formosana | 27 Jan 2024 | abread111 | ||
| Koelreuteria paniculata | 28 Oct 2023 | natureguy | ||
| Koelreuteria paniculata | 28 Oct 2023 | abread111 |
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User's notes
In the Green Space and a neighbouring garden.
9 comments
abread111
wrote:
8 Nov 2023
Hi @natureguy
According to https://keyserver.lucidcentral.org/weeds/data/media/Html/koelreuteria_elegans_subsp._formosana.htm
Golden rain tree (Koelreuteria elegans subsp. formosana) is very similar to another closely related species also known as golden rain trees (i.e. Koelreuteria paniculata). These species can be distinguished from each other by the following differences:
Koelreuteria elegans subsp. formosana has twice-compound (i.e. bipinnate) leaves with relatively small leaflets (5.5-10 cm long) and oval-shaped (i.e. ellipsoid) fruit.
Koelreuteria paniculata has once-compound (i.e. pinnate) leaves with relatively large leaflets (7-15 cm long) and slightly elongated fruit.
So this tree looks like Koelreuteria elegans subsp. formosana
Look at the leaf structure in the second picture.
According to https://keyserver.lucidcentral.org/weeds/data/media/Html/koelreuteria_elegans_subsp._formosana.htm
Golden rain tree (Koelreuteria elegans subsp. formosana) is very similar to another closely related species also known as golden rain trees (i.e. Koelreuteria paniculata). These species can be distinguished from each other by the following differences:
Koelreuteria elegans subsp. formosana has twice-compound (i.e. bipinnate) leaves with relatively small leaflets (5.5-10 cm long) and oval-shaped (i.e. ellipsoid) fruit.
Koelreuteria paniculata has once-compound (i.e. pinnate) leaves with relatively large leaflets (7-15 cm long) and slightly elongated fruit.
So this tree looks like Koelreuteria elegans subsp. formosana
Look at the leaf structure in the second picture.
natureguy
wrote:
28 Jan 2024
Hmm interesting, I never saw this comment until just now, so thank you. I have to say I'm not very familiar with K. elegans as a potential occurrence locally, you may well be right but I'd like to look into this a bit more as it may mean our treatment of these has been inaccurate prior to now.
abread111
wrote:
28 Jan 2024
Just came across what I thought was a young one in Justice Robert Hope park, so I revisited this identification.
abread111
wrote:
5 Feb 2024
Expect to see a lot more of these spreading into reserves. I have just noticed that this species has been planted in the last couple of years as a gap filling street tree in Phillip Avenue (between Downer and Watson) and some are now fruiting for the first time. No doubt it was also planted in other locations around Canberra. It is a weed in Brisbane - see a great series of photos at https://weeds.brisbane.qld.gov.au/weeds/golden-rain-tree
Mike
wrote:
5 Feb 2024
Please check my sightings of Koelreuteria paniculata as well. I was under the impression that it was a possible problem in Canberra. I was told years ago that golden rain tree Koelreuteria elegans subsp. formosana would never be a problem in Canberra because of the frosts.
abread111
wrote:
5 Feb 2024
It is on the National Alert List for Environmental Weeds - see https://weeds.dpi.nsw.gov.au/Weeds/ChineseRainTree
It seems to do well here... maybe too well.
It seems to do well here... maybe too well.
abread111
wrote:
5 Feb 2024
@Mike I looked at the K. paniculata sightings page and reckon many of them are bipinnate leaves so should be reassessed.
abread111
wrote:
10 Feb 2024
@Mike, @natureguy, @MichaelMulvaney
Thank you Mike for following up on this. The pictures you found https://www.botanybrisbane.com/plants/sapindaceae/koelreuteria/koelreuteria-elegans-subsp-formosana/ show that this sighting is different to those pictures, and must be K. paniculata despite the bipinnate leaves.
So I am changing the id again.
Should perhaps be added to the sleeper weed category - and not on the planting list for street trees.
Thank you Mike for following up on this. The pictures you found https://www.botanybrisbane.com/plants/sapindaceae/koelreuteria/koelreuteria-elegans-subsp-formosana/ show that this sighting is different to those pictures, and must be K. paniculata despite the bipinnate leaves.
So I am changing the id again.
Should perhaps be added to the sleeper weed category - and not on the planting list for street trees.
Location information
- Coordinates 149.153856-35.232467
- Altitude 619.0m
- Maps Watson Green Space
- Places Watson, ACT
Sighting information
- 1 - 3 Abundance
- 28 Oct 2023 10:41 AM Recorded on
- abread111 Recorded by
-
Collections
Discussions. Plants Other Trees abread111
Additional information
- 1 metre to 5 metres Plant height
- Alive / healthy Plant health
Species information
- Koelreuteria paniculata Scientific name
- Golden Rain Tree Common name
- Not Sensitive
- Exotic
- Minor weed or pest
- Up to 726.44m Recorded at altitude
- Machine learning
-
In flower
Record quality
- Images or audio
- More than one media file
- Verified by an expert moderator
- Nearby sighting(s) of same species
- GPS evidence of location
- Description
- Additional attributes
