This pride of India tree is covered in panicles of yellow flowers at the eastern end of the Fairway.
Taking it’s name from the German botanist J Koelreuter (1733 – 1806), the genus Koelreuteria comprises three species of Asian trees, with alternate, pinnate leaves and pyramidal panicles of flower. The Chinese Koelreuteria paniculata is the most commonly grown, having been grown in gardens of the United Kingdom since 1763. Reaching 10m in height and spread it requires a sunny position to produce panicles of five-lobed flowers, which cover the canopy and are succeeded by inflated, papery, bladder-like seed capsules containing pea-like seeds. The Garden has two specimens of this species, this one, which is a United Kingdom champion, and a second specimen growing in the Woodland Garden, which is best admired from the southern side of the Lake.