Golden Rain Tree (Koelreuteria Paniculata) 5 seeds (#160)

Golden rain tree is a small to medium sized deciduous tree native to China and Korea. The overall shape is irregular to round, sometimes with multiple trunks. The large leaves are compound with leaflets that are irregular, roughly oval and coarsely toothed or lobed. Leaves emerge in spring light to medium green tinted with pink or bronze; they are bright green in summer and turn unreliably buttery yellow in the fall. Summer blooms appear at the ends of the branches in large clusters or panicles. They are small, yellow and open over several weeks. The seedpods are also showy, being papery like small Chinese lanterns and are greenish pink to red maturing to tan and brown. Golden rain tree can be a bit messy dropping flowers, seedpods and many small twigs.
Golden rain trees are tolerant of many conditions and are great urban trees tolerant of pollution, heat, salt and drought. They prefer well drained soil and full sun but will grow in partial shade. They have open, rangy, leaning habits and brittle wood which breaks during windstorms. Prune them while young to establish good branch structure and a tidy shape. The seeds of this tree are fertile and pop-up around the landscape. It has naturalized in Japan and is becoming invasive in some locations. Golden rain trees are excellent in providing broken shade to patios, are good street trees and work well in small yards and landscapes, although quite messy.

Genus - Koelreuteria
Species - Paniculata
Common name - Golden Rain Tree
Pre-Treatment - Required
Hardiness zones - 5 - 8
Height - 20-35' / 6 - 10 (15) m
Spread - 20-35' / 6 - 10 m
Plant type - Tree
Vegetation type - Decidious
Exposure - Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth rate - Fast
Soil PH - Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil type - Clay, laom, Sand, well drained
Water requirements - Average Water
Landscape uses - Feature plant, Shade Trees, Street Trees
Bloom season - Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall
Leaf / Flower color - Green / Yellow

GERMINATION INSTRUCTIONS
Soak seeds with hard seed coats in a bowl filled with warm water. Soak them for at least 24 hours until the seeds swell.
Nick very hard seed coats that do not swell after soaking for 48 hours with a sharp knife then soak them until they swell.
Pour lightly moist coir, composted tree bark or sphagnum peat moss mixed with a handful of course builder’s sand, perlite or vermiculite into a small, zip-top clear plastic storage bag.
Put the swollen seeds into the mix in the plastic bag and zip it closed. Store it in the refrigerator for 2 months.
Pour moistened seed germination mix, such as half sphagnum peat moss and half course builder’s sand, perlite or vermiculite into a seed flat or 7-10 cm deep pots. Remove the seeds from the refrigerator. Plant the seeds at a depth equal to one to two times their width.
Put the seed containers in a bright area out of direct sunlight where room temperatures are +18-+20C.
Cover the container with a piece of plastic or put the container in a large, clear plastic bag and close the top. Moisten the seed mix if it begins to dry.
Remove the cover after the seeds germinate and you can see the tops of the seedlings. Continue to keep the seed mix moist.
Pot them up separately with soil-based potting mix in 15 cm deep pots when they are large enough to handle.
Information source: http://living.thebump.com/propagate-golden-rain-tree-6820.html