Koelreuteria
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Koelreuteria Template:IPAc-en,<ref>Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607</ref> also known as chinese lantern tree,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> is a genus of three species of flowering plants in the family Sapindaceae, native to southern and eastern Asia, as well as the island of Fiji. Many fossil species are also known, suggesting that this genus had a wider range in the past.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite journal</ref>
Description
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{{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B= Template:Ambox }} }} They are medium-sized deciduous trees growing to Template:Convert tall, with spirally arranged pinnate or bipinnate leaves. The flowers are small and yellow, produced in large branched panicles Template:Convert long. The fruit is a three-lobed inflated papery capsule 3–6 cm long, containing several hard nut-like seeds 5–10 mm diameter.
Taxonomy
It was published by Erik Laxmann in 1772.<ref name = "POWO, 2024">Template:Cite POWO</ref> The type species is Koelreuteria paniculata Laxm.<ref name="IPNI">Koelreuteria | International Plant Names Index. (n.d.). Retrieved February 8, 2024, from https://www.ipni.org/n/36452-1</ref>
Evolution
Fossil remains of Koelreuteria are known from the Early Eocene of North America and the Pliocene of Europe, suggesting that they originally had a circumboreal distribution. Climactic changes led to their extirpation from North America after the Eocene and in Europe after the Neogene, leaving only the East Asian species. K. elegans arrived to Fiji and Taiwan via long-distance dispersal.<ref name=":0" />
Species
The genus has three accepted species:<ref name = "POWO, 2024" />
- Koelreuteria bipinnata Franch. (Chinese flame tree)
- Koelreuteria elegans (Seem.) A.C.Sm. (Taiwanese goldenrain tree)
- Koelreuteria paniculata Laxm. (goldenrain tree)
The following fossil species are also known:<ref name=":0" />
- †Koelreuteria allenii (Lesq.) W. N. Edwards (early to late Eocene of the western United States)
- †Koelreuteria dilcheri Qi Wang, Manchester, H.-J. Gregor, S. Shen et Z. Y. Li (Eocene of the western United States)
- †Koelreuteria kvacekii Chen et al (early-mid Eocene of the Tibetan Plateau, China)<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
- †Koelreuteria lunpolaensis Jiang et al (Oligocene of Tibetan Plateau, China)<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
- †Koelreuteria macroptera (Kováts) W. N. Edwards (late Oligocene to early Pliocene of Europe)
- †Koelreuteria miointegrifoliola Hu et R. W. Chaney (Miocene of eastern Asia)
- †Koelreuteria quasipaniculata Li et al (Miocene of the Tibetan Plateau, China)<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
- †Koelreuteria taoana Qi Wang, Manchester, H.-J. Gregor, S. Shen et Z. Y. Li (Eocene of northeastern China and eastern Russia)
- †Koelreuteria yuanmouensis Li, Yin, Mehrotra et Cheng (Pliocene of China)<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Etymology
The genus was named after Joseph Gottlieb Kölreuter (1733-1806),<ref name = "IPNI" /> from Karlsruhe, Germany, by Erich Laxmann.
Uses
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{{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B= Template:Ambox }} }} Koelreuteria are commonly used as focal points in landscape design in regions where they thrive.
In some areas, notably parts of eastern North America, they have become invasive species.