Habitat

• a hybrid between L. alpinum and L. anagyroides
• hardy to zone 5
• dislikes zones warmer than 7

Habit and Form

• a small, deciduous tree
• 12' to 15' tall
• two thirds as wide as tall
• obovate shape
• upright narrow to upright spreading habit
• tends to be sparse and underfoliated at the base; most leaves in the upper two thirds of the tree

Summer Foliage

• alternate trifoliate leaves
• each leaflets is elliptical with all three leaflets of about equal size
• leaves are 1.25' to 3' long
• emerging leaves have a silky pubescence
• mature leaves are glabrous and bright green to blue-green in color

Autumn Foliage

• yellow-green
• unimpressive

Flowers

• very showy pendulous clusters that can be 10" to 20" long
• color is yellow
• individual flowers are pealike and about 1" long
• bloom time is mid to late May
• during the week or 10 days this plant is in bloom, nothing compares

Fruit

• a small flattened pod
• changes from green to brown in October
• somewhat persistent
• not ornamentally attractive

Bark

• stems are shiny, olive green
• even older branches remain smooth and olive green
• eventually the main trunk's bark develops some roughness and fissuring

Culture

• likes a moist, fertile, cool, well-drained soil
• not a plant for hot dry sites
• the ideal location is sunny, but with protection (shade) during hottest part of the day
• tolerant of high pH soils
• prune after flowering

Landscape Use

• specimen
• in small groupings
• for spectacular flowering display
• works particularly well in protected corners of buildings and walls
• patio tree

Liabilities

• a short-lived tree under most situations
• sunscald on bark
• twig kill in severe winters
• canker disease and twig blight
• can be leggy at the base
• seeds are poisoned
• need for protected, specific site requirements

ID Features

• small, obovate-shaped tree
• yellow flowers in pendulous clusters
• blue-green leaves
• olive green bark
• leggy at base of the plant
• persistent pods possible

Propagation

• leaf bud or root cuttings
• by seed

Cultivars/Varieties

'Alford's Weeping' and 'Pendulum' - These are weeping forms with distinctly pendulous branches. They appear to flower sparsely.

'Aureum' - This is a rare form with golden yellow leaves, though the color probably would not persist well into the season in warm summer climates.

'Vossii' (also listed as L. x vossii) - The most commonly available form, this cultivar features a denser habit and longer flower racemes -- to 2' long.