The botanical name for Chinese Rain Tree is Koelreuteria elegans subsp. formosana. and this native of Taiwan is now spreading through bushland, gullies and gardens with ease.
Once planted as a feature in parks and streets and with a canopy of crowded leaves and high seed production, Chinese rain trees germinate rapidly in ideal conditions to become invasive across a wide range of habitats. With golden flowers and papery pink seed capsules the mature trees certainly stand out from the crowd.
Weedy trees
These weedy trees crowd out native species and disrupt valuable habitat. They can germinate in managed gardens and undisturbed bushland, meaning that an infestation can be well established before it becomes noticed. The area invaded by Chinese rain tree is expanding, meaning established trees should be removed now, to prevent them from becoming a problem in the near future.
Not to be confused with Golden rain tree
Chinese rain tree is also often confused with, or known as Golden rain tree, Chinese Flame tree and Flame gold tree. It is not the same as Golden rain tree, Koelreuteria paniculata and has some key differences. Chinese rain tree has compound, bipinnate leaves with numerous, small leaflets with toothed edges. Golden rain tree leaves are only once-divided (pinnate) with larger leaflets. Chinese rain tree grows from 5-15m tall with a spreading crown. The large leaves are made up of many leaflets that can give it a feathery appearance and are dark green on top. It has bright-yellow flowers in numerous clusters, followed by papery, red-pink “balloon” seed pods each containing a few round, black seeds.
Think you might have Chinese rain tree?
Established trees should be removed if possible, whilst seedlings and small infestations should be dealt with quickly to prevent further spread. Contact Councils Biosecurity officer for more information or help with identification of Chinese rain tree. Refer to Chinese rain tree – NSW WeedWise for the full weed profile.
