The (un)Natural and Cultural History of Korean Goldenrain Tree

fruit displays of goldenrain tree, Koelreuteria paniculata, have caught the eye of Western botanists and gardeners alike since 1747, when Pierre d’Incarville, a Jesuit priest, introduced the species to Europe from northern China. By 1763, this charming tree was being grown in the Jardin du Roi in Paris, and in 1809 it made its first known appearance in the United States when Thomas Jefferson received a shipment of seeds from Madame de Tessé, a French aristocrat and fellow botany lover with whom he often traded plants. It has since become a popular garden ornamental and is much appreciated for its tolerance of urban conditions. Goldenrain tree’s Chinese distribution lies in the eastern half of temperate China, extending from Sichuan Province northeast to Liaoning Province, where it is frequently found growing in dry streambeds and valleys. About a dozen separate populations have been discovered on The (un)Natural and Cultural History of Korean Goldenrain Tree