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Move over, jacaranda. LA’s fall showstopper is the Chinese flame tree
Chinese flame trees in El Sereno.
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Fiona Ng
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LAist
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Jacaranda. Jacaranda. Jacaranda. We love those purple canopies across Los Angeles.
But have you seen the Chinese flame tree — sporting happy yellow blooms that brighten everything around them in the fall, before giving way to pink or reddish capsules that are reminiscent of paper lanterns?
“The genus for that group of plants is Koelreuteria,” said Donald Hodel, a landscape horticulture adviser with UC Cooperative Extension, part of the University of California’s Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Two species of the tree flower this time of the year. Hodel said that despite their varied origins, they’re almost visually indistinguishable. Koelreuteria bipinnata is from China, and Koelreuteria elegans is from Taiwan.
The golden yellow phase of the Chinese flame tree.
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Fiona Ng
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LAist
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Pinkish, reddish capsules of seeds emerge after the yellow flowers.
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Fiona Ng
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LAist
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The genus, according to the UC Cooperative Extension, was introduced to the United States in 1763 — most likely by an arboretum or botanical garden, Hodel said. From there, they entered the nursery trade.
They are popular trees in greater Los Angeles — and can be found in El Sereno, Long Beach and Culver City — with a couple of knocks against them.
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“They aren't water hogs by any means; [but] they can't really be considered drought-tolerant,” Hodel explained.
Close-up of a capsule from the Chinese flower tree.
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Fiona Ng
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LAist
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And they sprout easily if their seeds find a water source. “Which means you have to take them out, 'cause eventually they'll get too big,” he said.
No tree is perfect — he stressed — not even SoCal’s beloved jacaranda.
“If I could only have one or the other, I'd probably pick a Koelreuteria,” he said. “It's a good-looking tree.”
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