Koelreuteria paniculata was first brought to North America in 1763 and has been earning its place in gardens ever since. Native to China, Korea, and Japan, it grows 30 to 40 feet tall with roughly equal spread, forming a rounded crown of feathery compound leaves that cast light, dappled shade. The flowers arrive in mid-summer in 12 to 15-inch branched panicles, and when the petals fall they blanket the ground beneath the tree in yellow. What follows is equally distinctive: papery, three-valved seed capsules in tan and copper that persist on the branches and look striking against autumn skies.

It is one of the most adaptable flowering trees available for temperate gardens, tolerating drought, heat, urban pollution, and a wide pH range. The wood is somewhat brittle, and storm damage is a real possibility in exposed sites, so a position with some shelter is sensible. It seeds freely and can naturalize in disturbed areas, which has earned it a place on some invasive species lists in parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast. Worth knowing before planting near natural areas.