Koelreuteria paniculata

Golden Rain Tree at Watson Green Space

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Koelreuteria paniculata abread111 10 Feb 2024
Koelreuteria paniculata natureguy 28 Oct 2023
Koelreuteria paniculata abread111 28 Oct 2023

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In the Green Space and a neighbouring garden.

9 comments

   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.
   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.
   28 Jan 2024
Just came across what I thought was a young one in Justice Robert Hope park, so I revisited this identification.
   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
   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.
   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.
   5 Feb 2024
@Mike I looked at the K. paniculata sightings page and reckon many of them are bipinnate leaves so should be reassessed.
   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.
   11 Feb 2024
Thanks Mike and Barbara

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  • At least 1 Abundance
  • 28 Oct 2023 10:41 AM Recorded on
  • abread111 Recorded by
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