Vossi Goldenchain Tree

Laburnum X waterii ‘vossii’

This pair of goldenchain trees are currently in their peak this week on Touro St. brightening up the Women’s Resource Center with their pendulous yellow glow.  This hybrid is a cross between Laburnum anagyroides and Laburnum alpinum.  Both species are native to the mountains of southern Europe.  This hybrid combines the long sparse flowers of L. alpinum with the short chunky appearance of L. anayroides racemes to make long hanging racemes of bright yellow flowers with a red blotch in the throat that can be well over a foot long.  If you look closely you can see that the shapes of the flowers and compound leaves resemble that of common garden peas, as they share the same family.  Unlike the edible peas found in the garden, the pods created by this tree in the fall are toxic.  Though beautiful in flower, they can be a difficult tree to keep tidy in the landscape, if you prefer that pin straight trunk.  All species of goldenchain have notoriously bad root systems and even older trees need support to keep themselves upright.  It is common to see this tree mixed with Wisteria trellised in the garden, the purple and yellow hanging racemes of flowers match well together and the trellis provides support for both of them.  Unfortunately, this pair is showing the symptoms of a poor root system as the tree on the downhill side of the building has bowed over to the street.