Laburnum

Golden chain Laburnum anagyroides

Description

A small lilac-like tree with yellow flowers, Laburnum anagyroides, most often cultivated as an ornamental tree. Laburnum wood is yellow with brown streaks and has been used for inlays.

Synonyms and Related Terms

common laburnum (Laburnum anagyroides); alpine laburnum (Laburnum alpinum); Voss's laburnum (Laburnum watereri); golden chain tree; goldenchain; guldregn (Dan.); goldregen (Deut.); cytise (Fr.); Cytise faux ébénier (Fr.); Aubour(Fr.); goudenregen (Ned.); maggiociondolo (It.)

Laburnum Laburnum x watereri

Other Properties

Small tree to 5-7 m. Bark = smooth greenish brown; some splits occurring with age. Leaves = alternate trifliate. Flower = bright yellow hanging clusters (10-30 cm long) occurring in early spring Fruit = flat pod in clusters, brown when ripe in early fall.

Hazards and Safety

All parts of this plant are toxic; consumption may be fatal.

Additional Information

Schoch, W., Heller, I., Schweingruber, F.H., Kienast, F., 2004:Wood anatomy of central European Species: Golden Chain,Laburnum anagyroides Med.

Sources Checked for Data in Record

• George Savage, Art and Antique Restorer's Handbook, Rockliff Publishing Corp, London, 1954

• Website address 1 Comment: Virginia Tech Dendrology website at www.fw.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/main.htm (accessed Oct. 8, 2005)

• Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, at http://www.wikipedia.com Comment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laburnum (Accessed Oct. 8, 2005)

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998