Scientific Name:
Laburnum
x
watereri
Pronunciation:
luh-BUR-num ex wuh-TER-er-eye
Common Name:
golden chain tree
Family Name:
Fabaceae
Plant Type:
Tree - deciduous
Key ID Features:
Leaves alternate, trifoliate, leaflets sessile, elliptic, 2-7cm long x 2-3cm wide; flowers yellow, wisteria-like, 2-3cm long, in pendulous racemes 15-35cm long, May-Jun. Winter ID: persistent split legume pericarps 3-5cm long.
Habit:
Upright
Form:
Vase
Texture:
Medium - fine
Mature Height:
7 - 10m
Mature Spread:
5 - 7m
Growth Rate:
Moderate
Origin:
Garden origin (L. alpinum x L. anagyroides)
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 6: (-23 to -18 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Landscape Uses:
Espalier, Shade tree, Specimen plant (Caution: poisonous parts)
Additional Info:
Google (potentially invasive locally). Cultivars shown may include L. 'Vossii' (denser habit and longer flower racemes to 60cm long). Also consider weeping Scotch laburnum.
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Compound
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Compound Leaf:
Trifoliate (ternate)
Shapes:
Elliptic
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Attenuate
Margins:
Entire
Inflorescence Type:
Raceme, Floriferous
Flower Morphology:
Monoecious plant
Number Of Petals:
5
Corolla Shape:
Bilabiate
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Showy, Yellow
Flower Time at Peak:
May, Jun
Additional Info:
Pendulous
Fruit Type:
Legume
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Aug, Sep
Additional Info:
Persistent, Seeds may form but are not used for propagation.
Bark Morphology:
Exfoliating
Bark or Stem Colour:
Brown
Leaf Bud Type:
Ovoid
Leaf Scar Shape:
Half-oval
Organ Modifications:
Root nodules (N-fixing)
Propagation:
Hardwood cuttings
Pest Susceptibility:
Aphids, Blight or needle cast, Mealybugs (Rabbit resistant)
