Golden trumpet tree

How to identify a golden trumpet tree

In spring the golden trumpet tree loses many of its leaves and covers its crown in clusters of bright yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers up to about 7 cm long, with reddish lines in the throat. Each leaf has usually five leaflets spreading like fingers from one point, and the young shoots, leaf stalks and flower bases are coated in golden to rusty brown hairs. Long, thin pods up to 50 cm long follow. The pink trumpet tree is a close relative with pink flowers. Brisbane City Council plants a different yellow-flowered species, the silver trumpet tree, as a street tree.

Growing a golden trumpet tree in Brisbane

Trumpet trees are a familiar sight in Brisbane gardens and streets and handle the light frosts Brisbane can get. The golden trumpet tree became a popular street tree in recent decades, but Brisbane City Council now includes it on its weed list for information, because its wind-spread seed is considered a serious invasion risk in northern New South Wales, where it has already gone wild at Bellingen. If you grow one, plant it in full sun, well away from bushland and creeks.

What to watch out for

Brisbane City Council has the golden trumpet tree on its weed list for information. There is no legal requirement attached, but its winged seeds travel on the wind and it is considered a serious invasion risk in northern New South Wales, where it has already gone wild at one site. Pull up seedlings, and avoid planting it near bushland or creeks.

• Seedlings. Its winged seeds blow on the wind, and Brisbane City Council says it is regarded as a serious invasion risk in northern New South Wales.

Pruning and care

Plant in full sun. Water young trees regularly, and in hot, dry summers give established trees a deep soak about once a fortnight. Let the rain look after it in winter while it is partly bare, as a wet winter can mean fewer flowers. Prune lightly after flowering to remove dead, crossing or low branches. Pull out any seedlings while small, and if the tree is near bushland, consider removing the pods before they open.

• Tree removal
• Tree pruning
• Stump grinding