Menu list goes here

Herbal Database Search Results

Back to: Pathways Main Search Page For Metaphysical uses visit The Witchs Haven

Koelreuteria paniculata

Common name:	Golden Rain Tree	Family:	Sapindaceae
Author:	Laxm.	Botanical references:	11, 200
Synonyms:	Koelreuteria apiculata (Rehder.&E.H.Wilson.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	E. Asia - N. China. Naturalized in Japan and S. Europe.
Habitat:	Found by sea-shores in Japan[58]. Grows on plains and in secondary forest on poor soils in China[200].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Gele Zeepboom [D], Golden Rain Tree [H], Golden-rain Tree [B], Goldenrain Tree [P], Goldenraintree [DEN1], Luan Hua [E], Mu Lan Ya [E], Mu Luan Tzu [E],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	paniculata = with panicles;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Sapindales. Soapberry family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	China; Us

Physical Characteristics

A decidious tree growing to 10m by 10m at a fast rate. It is hardy to zone 6 and is frost tender. It is in flower from July to August, and the seeds ripen from September to October. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees. It is noted for attracting wildlife. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure. It can tolerate atmospheric pollution.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Secondary, Sunny Edge.

Edible Uses

Leaves; Seed.

Berries - roasted[2, 177].
Leaves and young shoots - cooked[2, 105, 177, 179].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Ophthalmic.

The flowers are ophthalmic[178, 218]. They are used in the treatment of conjunctivitis and epiphora[218].

Other Uses

Beads; Dye.

A yellow dye is obtained from the flowers.[46, 61, 178].
A black dye is obtained from the leaves[178].
The seeds are used as beads in necklaces etc[46, 61, 178].

Cultivation details

Succeeds in any good loamy soil[1, 11] and in dry soils. Prefers a sunny sheltered position[1, 11]. A wind resistant plant, but it does not like salt-laden winds[200]. Tolerates atmospheric pollution[200].
This species is hardy to about -10°c when fully dormant[200], though the young growth in spring can be damaged by late frosts.
Grows best in areas with long hot summers, it is fast growing in such conditions[200]. A short-lived tree[11].
A good bee plant[108].
Plants are susceptible to coral spot fungus, especially if the wood is not properly ripened due to insufficient summer heat[11]. This species is notably resistant to honey fungus[200].

Propagation

The seed requires a period of cold stratification. It is probably best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[200]. Pre-soak stored seed for 24 hours in warm water. If it swells up then sow it in a cold frame. If it does not swell then soak it for a further 24 hours in hot water prior to sowing. This should cause the seed to swell but, should this fail, scarification (taking care not to damage the seed embryo) followed by a further 24 hours in warm water should do the trick[80]. Germination is usually good[78], though the seedlings are very variable[200]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Consider giving the plants some protection from the cold for their first winter outdoors[78].
Root cuttings, 4cm taken in December. Plant horizontally in individual pots in a warm greenhouse[78].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

PFAF Web Pages

This plant is mentioned in the following web pages

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[V] Images from the Vascular Plant Image Gallery of the Texas A&M Bioinformatics Working Group.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
[DEN] Data _ Photos (Good Identification info) from the Virginia Tech's Dendrology Deptarments' Tree Fact Sheets.

References for the family Sapindaceae.

To be included in the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[58] Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965
The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[80] McMillan-Browse. P. Hardy Woody Plants from Seed. Grower Books 1985 ISBN 0-901361-21-6
Does not deal with many species but it is very comprehensive on those that it does cover. Not for casual reading.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[108] International Bee Research Association. Garden Plants Valuable to Bees. International Bee Research Association. 1981
The title says it all.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[178] Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre
A translation of an ancient Chinese herbal. Fascinating.

[179] Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 1977
A translation of an ancient Chinese book on edible wild foods. Fascinating.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

Readers Comments

Main Search Page

Bibliography

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963

This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Koelreuteria+paniculata
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Koelreuteria+paniculata

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
(You can copy, distribute, display this works but: Attribution is required, its for Non-Commercial purposes, and it's Share Alike (GNUish/copyleft) i.e. has an identical license.)
We also ask that you let us know (michael@thewitchshaven.com) if you link to, redistribute, make a derived work or do anything groovy with this information.

Home :: View Cart :: Shipping & Returns :: Contact Us :: Log In :: Privacy Policy :: Home :: Philosophy

We make no claims of magical effects or supernatural powers for any item in this catalog. In spite of legendary attributes or occult and craft tradition, such items are offered as curios only and beliefs concerning their magical effectiveness are related only for historical interest.