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Koelreuteria elegans ssp. formosana (Chinese Flame Tree) - This is a semi-deciduous tree that typically grows to 40 feet tall. The 2 foot long leaves are bipinnately divided into many 2-inch-long toothed leaflets. In late summer (September here in Santa Barbara), the clusters of small red centered yellow flowers smoother the entire tree and are followed by inflated one-inch-long papery fruit capsules resembling Japanese lanterns. These capsules are green initially but quickly deepen to reddish pink and later to pale salmon pink.
Plant in full sun and give deep, infrequent watering. It is hardy down to about 15 degrees F. This beautiful tree is so showy in fruit that it also has the common name Bougainvillea Flame Tree since the capsules resemble the large bracts of a Bougainvillea.
Koelreuteria elegans, which had also been known as Koelreuteria henryi and Koelreuteria formosana comes from Taiwan and Fiji and most recently the plants from Taiwan are now considered to be Koelreuteria elegans ssp. formosana while the Fijian one is Koelreuteria elegans ssp. elegans. The name for the genus honors the German Botanist Joseph Gottlieb Koelreuter who was at the Imperial Academy of Sciences at St. Petersburg when the Finnish naturalist Erik Laxmann described the genus. The specific epithet is from the Latin word meaning "neat" or "elegant". There are beautiful examples of this tree in Santa Barbara, often mixed with plantings of Koelreuteria bipinnata from which it differs by having smaller, less coarsely toothed leaves that are glossy and have a prominent elongated tip, having darker red colored fruit and is in leaf longer, staying nearly evergreen in warm winters. In the nursery trade these two species are often confused.
The tallest Koelreuteria elegans in Santa Barbara is adjacent to McKinley Elementary School and measures 53 feet tall. We grew this tree from 1995 until 2005 and still have a specimen tree planted in front of our accounting office. We discontinued production of this beautiful tree because it reseeds a bit into surrounding plantings and because of industry confusion between it and the coarser foliaged Koelreuteria bipinnata.
The information displayed on this page about Koelreuteria elegans ssp. formosana is based on our research conducted about this plant from books in our nursery library as well as from information that is provided by reliable online resources. We also have included our own observations made about it as it grew in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers when we had them in our nursery field. We also include comments received from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information aiding others to better grow it.
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