Deno’s GardenMy Garden

Laburnum × watereri

Golden Chain Tree · Bean Tree

Family FabaceaeGenus Laburnum

Also published as Laburnum vossii, Laburnum × vossii. You are in the right place.

Long hanging chains of yellow pea flowers, dozens of them, falling from a tree's branches over a green lawn.
FlowerSalixCC BY-SA 4.0

About the plant

What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.

Safety

Toxicity
All parts of this tree are poisonous. The seedpods are quite poisonous.Plant Finder

The plant

Habit
TreePlant Finder
Habit
treePlants of the World Online
Height
15-30 ft4.6-9.1 mPlant Finder
Spread
15-30 ft4.6-9.1 mPlant Finder
Flower
Showy; yellowPlant Finder
Blooms
May to JunePlant Finder
Native range
Garden originPlant Finder
Hardiness zones
5-7Plant Finder
Note
Twig blight is infrequent but can be serious. Watch for aphids and mealybugs.Plant Finder

Growing conditions

Sun
Full sun to part shadePlant Finder
Soil
Organically rich, medium moisture, well-drainedPlant Finder
Watering
MediumPlant Finder

Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.

Sources: Plant Finder — Missouri Botanical Garden; Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Worth knowing

  • This golden chain tree is a natural hybrid of common and alpine laburnum, popular for its hanging yellow flower clusters, and can be trained over arches. All parts are poisonous, though deaths are very rare. Its cultivar 'Vossii' holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit. Wikipedia: Laburnum × watereri

This source reports two treatments. Both are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Low Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 29, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Nick or sand the seed coat

    A hole ground through the seed coat.

  2. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 7 days to germinate.

100% germination in 5–7 days.

The hole is the whole protocol. Grind one and it is 100% inside a week.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, LaburnumPublic domain
Show the original text
Laburnum (Fabaceae). L. vossi germ. 100% in 5-7 d at 70 providing a hole is ground through the seed coat. Germination is negligible without this pretreatment.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Laburnum. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 2

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C

    Negligible without the hole.

No stated waiting before sowing.

Deno calls germination negligible without the hole, and gives no figure for it.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, LaburnumPublic domain
Show the original text
Laburnum (Fabaceae). L. vossi germ. 100% in 5-7 d at 70 providing a hole is ground through the seed coat. Germination is negligible without this pretreatment.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Laburnum. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record; the step names come from a fixed list.

How each step is done, in Deno’s words, and what Verified and Derived mean.

Germination trials

Readers’ own records of sowing this species, published after review. Share your trial · All trials

Add to My Garden

View species page