Nature on our doorsteps: Beautiful Laburnum

In May and June, a Laburnum bush in flower is a beautiful thing.  Its large dangling bunches of golden yellow, vanilla-scented blossoms give the bush a very elegant and glamorous look.

Sometimes, so many drooping blossoms are produced that the plant’s leaves are almost completely hidden.

Laburnum originated in the mountainous areas of Central and Southern Europe, but it has been widely planted elsewhere for its lovely flowers and its compact size.

It also has attractive olive-green coloured bark and a narrow trunk.

Because it does not grow very tall or wide, it is seen as a perfect small tree for gardens and parks.

In some places, it has ‘escaped’ from gardens and has become naturalised in the wild.

Laburnum belongs to the pea family of plants.

Its individual yellow flowers have the typical shape of pea plants, and it also produces the recognizable long pod-like structures in which the plant’s seeds develop.

Laburnum’s flowers have the typical shape of the pea flower

As these pods mature they twist as they dry.

They then split open, scattering the little black seeds around.

The shape of Laburnum flowers causes the male and female parts of the flower to be enclosed, along with the blossom’s very rich nectar.

This means that pollinating insects must work hard to reach the prize.  Usually, mostly only long-tongued pollinators succeed.

As they force their way into the flower in search of nectar, the insects are dusted with pollen which they then bring to the next Laburnum.

Like other members of the pea family, the roots of Laburnum have a beneficial relationship with certain soil bacteria that form little lumps or nodules on the plant’s roots.

These bacteria absorb nitrogen from the air and convert it into a form that the Laburnum can use to help it grow.

Laburnum is not recommended as a medicinal plant as all parts of the plant are poisonous if eaten, including its seeds.