Goldenrain Tree Traditional Cache

Goldenrain tree took me a while to figure out what it was. I'd love to see it in bloom. There are several around here, but none look in great shape. I hope they're better later in the year. Please BYOP and check the info at the bottom of the page.

Goldenrain tree - Koelreuteria paniculata

Koelreuteria paniculata is a species of flowering plant in the family Sapindaceae, native to eastern Asia, in China and Korea. Common names include goldenrain tree, pride of India, China tree, or varnish tree.

It is a small to medium-sized deciduous tree  growing to 7 m (23 ft) tall, with a broad, dome-shaped crown. The leaves are pinnate, 15–40 cm (6–16 in) long, rarely to 50 cm (20 in), with 7-15 leaflets 3–8 cm long, with a deeply serrated margin; the larger leaflets at the midpoint of the leaf are sometimes themselves pinnate but the leaves are not consistently fully bipinnate as in the related Koelreuteria bipinnata.

The flowers are yellow, with four petals, growing in large terminal pnicles 20–40 cm (8–16 in) long. The fruit is a three-parted inflated bladderlike pod 3–6 cm long and 2–4 cm broad, green ripening orange to pink in autumn, containing several dark brown to black seeds 5–8 mm diameter.

It is popularly grown as an ornamental tree in temperate regions all across the world because of the aesthetic appeal of its flowers, leaves and seed pods. Several cultivars have been selected for garden planting, including 'Fastigiata' with a narrow crown, and 'September Gold', flowering in late summer.

The seeds are edible when roasted, but not commonly consumed.

In some areas, notably the eastern United States and particularly in Florida, it is considered an invasive species.

The Goldenrain tree or "Pride of India" (tree species: Koelreuteria paniculata) is an ornamental tree species from Asia. The name "Goldenrain" refers to this tree species bright yellow flowers that cover the tree with a golden colour in late spring.

The flowers occur in large terminal panicles that are as large as 30cm.

The leaves of the Goldenrain tree are pinnate with individual leaflets that are quite serrated and irregular.

One of the most distinctive features of this tree species is its seed pods that are bladder like with paper thin skin than conceal several small ball like black seeds in a completely hollow interior. These pods start out with a green or orangy-tan color. They then turn a sort of reddish colour before they mature into a grey-tan colour.

The seedpods have three sides and the seeds themselves are about 4-5 cm in diameter.

The cache is a tied in, camoed, big "micro" pill bottle, with a rolled log, a rubber band and a zip lock little bag. Please BYOP, put back and camo better than you found it.