Laburnum
Laburnum, also known as golden chain, is a genus of two species of small trees in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae. The species are Laburnum anagyroides—common laburnum and Laburnum alpinum—alpine laburnum. They are native to the mountains of southern Europe from France to the Balkan Peninsula.
Description[edit | edit source]
Laburnum has smooth, olive-brown bark and has a spreading habit of growth. Its leaves are trifoliate, somewhat like a clover; the leaflets are typically 2–3 cm long in L. anagyroides and 4–5 cm long in L. alpinum. The trees are deciduous.
Cultivation[edit | edit source]
Laburnum is often used as an ornamental tree due to its vibrant yellow flowers. The flowers are golden yellow, sweet-scented, produced in pendulous racemes 10–20 cm long in spring, which makes them very popular garden trees. In cultivation in the UK, Laburnum × watereri (Voss's laburnum) has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Toxicity[edit | edit source]
All parts of the plant are poisonous, and can be lethal if consumed in excess. Laburnum seeds and other parts of the plant are toxic and can cause severe vomiting, diarrhea, convulsions, and coma. Children can be attracted to the seeds, which contain the alkaloid cytisine.
Uses[edit | edit source]
The hard, dense wood is a deep yellow in color and is often used for cabinet making and inlay work, as well as for musical instruments. It also makes good firewood.
See also[edit | edit source]
Laburnum Resources | ||
---|---|---|
|
|
Navigation: Wellness - Encyclopedia - Health topics - Disease Index - Drugs - World Directory - Gray's Anatomy - Keto diet - Recipes
Search WikiMD
Ad.Tired of being Overweight? Try W8MD's physician weight loss program.
Semaglutide (Ozempic / Wegovy and Tirzepatide (Mounjaro / Zepbound) available.
Advertise on WikiMD
WikiMD is not a substitute for professional medical advice. See full disclaimer.
Credits:Most images are courtesy of Wikimedia commons, and templates Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY SA or similar.
Translate this page: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
தமிழ்,
తెలుగు,
Urdu,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
বাংলা
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
Greek,
português do Brasil,
polski,
română,
русский,
Nederlands,
norsk,
svenska,
suomi,
Italian
Middle Eastern & African
عربى,
Turkish,
Persian,
Hebrew,
Afrikaans,
isiZulu,
Kiswahili,
Other
Bulgarian,
Hungarian,
Czech,
Swedish,
മലയാളം,
मराठी,
ਪੰਜਾਬੀ,
ગુજરાતી,
Portuguese,
Ukrainian
Contributors: Prab R. Tumpati, MD