Koelreuteria paniculata Coral Sun

The Koelreuteria paniculata Coral Sun is a Golden Rain Tree that adorns itself with a magnificent palette of warm colors from spring to autumn. It is a small deciduous tree or large bush that combines many qualities. Its finely cut foliage changes colour, it has beautiful yellow summer flowers, and curious, colourful fruits. It also serves as a honey plant for bees, and it thrives in any well-drained soil. 

The Koelreuteria paniculata Coral Sun is a Dutch horticultural creation by Hendrik Kolster from 1993.  The type species is native to China and Korea, belonging to the sapindaceae family just like the chestnut trees. The 'Coral Sun' is a small tree or large bush with fairly rapid growth, reaching 6-7m (19 in 8 ft - 23 ft) in height and almost as much in width. It forms a single trunk and bears a wide, loosely spreading and globular crown supported by slightly twisted branches. Its bark is brown, with fine cracks of orange colour. The deciduous foliage is composed of feather-like leaves reaching about forty centimetres in length. Each leaflet has lobed or serrated leaflets about 10 cm (3.9 in) long. Their colour changes from spring pink to light green in summer, before turning golden yellow and then bronze in autumn. The colour of the petioles remains red in summer, pleasantly contrasting with the tender green foliage. In winter, the branches are bare. The flowering takes place in July-August, in the second half of summer, and it will be even more spectacular if the summer is hot. At the tips of the branches appear conical panicles, 20 to 40 cm (7.9 - 15.7 in) long, filled with small 4-petalled golden yellow flowers that are highly appreciated by bees. After pollination, they give rise to lantern-shaped capsules, measuring 3 to 6 cm (1.2 - 2.4 in) long and 2 to 4 cm (0.8 - 1.6 in) wide. Initially pale green, these capsules turn coral orange and then brown in autumn. Each capsule, shaped like a wineskin, is divided into 3 lobes, each containing a round, brown seed. This curious fruiting, once used for making jewellery, can remain on the tree until spring.

The Coral Sun undoubtedly breaks the monotony of more traditional foliage. It is an easy and rewarding ornamental tree, for which you will still need to reserve some space. It can be planted alone, or in a clear area of the garden, on the property boundary where you can enjoy all its advantages. In a grove, it could be planted with Sophora microphylla Sun King, Persian Ironwood, Judas tree or the exceptional Carpinus betulus Rockhampton Red. All these trees are undemanding and highly decorative.