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Flower to Fruit: Goldenrain tree


"After flowering comes fruit," wrote Harold William Pickett in 1957 in Botany for Gardeners. Three weeks ago we photographed the flowers on the goldenrain trees (Koelreuteria paniculata) on Bleecker Street near Broadway. The trees were buzzing with bees. Can you spot a bee in the photo?


Last week, the flowers had been transformed into fruit. The seedpods are described as lantern-shaped and papery by Leslie Day in Field Guide to the Street Trees of New York City. The pods contain small, dark, round seeds.

To see the fruits within the seed pod, look here.

The goldenrain tree was the Urban Tree of the Year in 2011.

Comments

Les said…
Despite its weedy reputation, I like this tree. I also like its cousin Koelreuteria bipinnata, whose seed pods become more pink as they age than brown.