The Pride of India is a very intersting little tree.  It's actually native to  eastern Asia (China and Korea) so the common name can be quite misleading! It also goes by the name of Goldenrain tree or the China tree and sometimes the Varnish tree. They are not a very common tree across Exeter. It was introduced into Europe in 1747 as an ornamental and landscape type of tree. The Earl of Coventry was the first person to grow Koelreuteria paniculata in Britain which was in 1763. Be careful when using the common name of 'Pride of India' as it also used for Lagerstroemia Speciosa which is a completly different tree.
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The Pride of India is typically a small tree and is deciduous. Very often they are multi-stemmed trees. Due to their small size they make for a very nice feature in even smaller gardens. The average height is typically around 7 - 10m and they are suitable for even smaller gardens.
ENTIRE TREE
BARK & TRUNK
The bark is silver / grey with small orange fissures.  The growth habit is usually a single stemmed tree. It requires full sun and makes a great feature tree for both parks and gardens. Between December and February the tree is in it's dormant state and may be mistaken for a similair tree such as a Rowan or Laburnum.
CANOPY
CROWN
The canopy is fairly open and the crown is usually quite broad. The panicles can remain on the  tree for quite some time which makes the end of the twigs look like long curly whips. In July the panicles hold the pretty yellow flowers with orange centers and as they mature into the fruit they are replaced with paper like brown lanterns in the Autumn.
BRANCHES & TWIGS
LEAVES
The twigs are quite stubby and the buds are conical and have a sharp point. There is no terminal bud and the lateral buds point upwards. The leaves are pinnate and up to 45cm in length and have 7 to 15 lobed leaflets.  From a distance the leaves may be mistaken for a Swedish whitebeam but when up close they are quite distinct.
FLOWERS
FRUIT (POD)
The flowers are trurly striking and is one of the main features of this fantastic little tree. In July the flower buds open to reveal thousands of tiny yellow flowers with orange centers. The flowers are arranged on large stalks called panicles which are 20 - 40cm long. Each flower has 4 yellow petals and are typically hermerpahordite which means both the female and male parts are found in the same flower. They are pollinated by insects and attract a wide variety of bees.
BUDS
GROUND LITTER
The fruit of this tree is very intersting and really stands out in the Autumn. In August the yellow flowers have matured into bright green small lanterns. These will become larger and turn a warm brown colour and become papery to the touch. In November the exterior will spilt open to release several black round seeds.  Between November and December the ground will be covered with hundreds of the split pods (lanterns) and the seeds will be dispersed. The seeds germinate fairly easily and tolerate most soils.
OTHER USEFUL DATA
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The Biodiversity Heritage Library
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Pierre-Joseph Redouté, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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Carbon performance certificate by Treeconomics for Barcham Pro Trees
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Carbon capture data by Treeconomics for Barcham Pro Trees
OTHER USEFUL RESOURCES
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www.barcham.co.uk
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www.rhs.org.uk
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https://trees.hillier.co.uk
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www.treeguideuk.co.uk
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https://powo.science.kew.org
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www.treesandshrubsonline.org
QUICK FACTS
  • It is native to  eastern Asia (China and Korea) and not India
  • The common names are Goldenrain tree, China tree and sometimes the Varnish tree
  • It was introduced into Europe in 1747 as an ornamental and landscape tree
  • The Earl of Coventry was the first person to grow Koelreuteria paniculata in Britain which was in 1763
  • ​The Pride of India is typically a small tree and is deciduous
  • Due to their small size they make for a very nice feature in even smaller gardens
  • The average height is typically around 7 - 10m
  • The bark is silver / grey with small orange fissures. 
  • The growth habit is usually a single stemmed tree.
  • It requires full sun and makes a great feature tree for both parks and gardens.
  • Between December and February the tree is in it's dormant state and may be mistaken for a similair tree such as a Rowan or Laburnum
  • The canopy is fairly open and the crown is usually quite broad
  • The panicles can remain on the  tree for quite some time which makes the end of the twigs look like long curly whips
  • In July the panicles hold the pretty yellow flowers with orange centers
  • The twigs are quite stubby and the buds are conical and have a sharp point
  • There is no terminal bud and the lateral buds point upwards
  • The leaves are pinnate and up to 45cm in length and have 7 to 15 lobed leaflets
  • From a distance the leaves may be mistaken for a Swedish whitebeam but when up close they are quite distinct
  • ​The flowers are trurly striking and is one of the main features of this fantastic little tree
  • In July the flower buds open to reveal thousands of tiny yellow flowers with orange centers
  • The flowers are arranged on large stalks called panicles which are 20 - 40cm long
  • Each flower has 4 yellow petals and are typically hermerpahordite which means both the female and male parts are found in the same flower
  • They are pollinated by insects and attract a wide variety of bees
  • The fruit of this tree is very intersting and really stands out in the Autumn
  • In August the yellow flowers have matured into bright green small lanterns
  • In November the exterior will spilt open to release several black round seeds
  • Between November and December the ground will be covered with hundreds of the split pods (lanterns) and the seeds will be dispersed
  • The seeds germinate fairly easily and tolerate most soils
  • In Florida it is considered an invasive species
  •  In China the leaves are used to manufacture a blue or black dye​
PLEASE LEAF ME ANY FEEDBACK / COMMENTS
If there is anything out of place or wrong please contact me. Equally if there is anything you wish to add please let me know. The more information we have about Pride of India the better. Many thanks!