Expoplant - Acquista online: Laburnum anagyroides -

Originally from southern Europe; the area of ​​greatest diffusion is represented by the Italian peninsula, where it is possible to meet it, in all the regions except the islands, in the hilly areas up to 800 meters.
Hardly the laburnum exceeds 6 - 8 m of height, generally shows a shrub habit, more rarely it is observable in the form of a small tree.
The stems that branch off from the base have an upturned and divergent pattern; they determine the formation of an enlarged and irregular head. In the young plant the bark is smooth and greenish and then takes on an ash color with transversal streaks and roughness.
The leaves are deciduous, composed of trifoliate, with alternating insertion, through a 3 cm petiole, on gray glaucous pubescent twigs, bearing the short brachiblasti. The leaf is made up of 3 elliptic ovate leaves, with rounded apex, sessile, with entire margin and penninervie ribs. The width of each leaflet on average is 3 cm and the length of 6 cm; the upper page is of an intense green color, the lower one is clearer and pubescent. The alternating and spiraled gems are ovoid and protected by tomentose pearls.
The flowers are hermaphrodite, small (1 - 2 cm) and numerous, golden yellow, they are gathered in inflorescences with pendulous racemes 15 - 25 cm long, with a notable aesthetic effect. The goblet of the individual flowers is funnel and supports a papilionacea corolla and a banner whose base is spotted. As the same common name says, the flowering happens in the month of May, with the leaves already present on the plant. The fruit is represented by a legume with lomenti (bottlenecks between the seeds), 6 to 10 cm long and with very thick edges. The legumes are initially light green and covered with a fine down, which is subsequently lost, and with aging they become brown.
It is a very interesting plant both from the ornamental and landscape point of view and as a spontaneous species. He loves sunny locations and calcareous soils with a sub-alkaline reaction, while also tolerating those that tend to be acidic, sandy, deep and humid. In its natural state it enters the constitution of broad-leaved woods consociating itself with chestnut, hornbeam, oak and beech. It is very suitable for the radical development, for the consolidation of slopes and gravel banks. In all its parts, it is rich in cytisine, an extremely toxic and poisonous alkaloid. The wood, highly appreciated, is very dark and is used in handicrafts. Its durability makes it suitable for pile formation and as excellent as firewood. In any case it is necessary to consider the toxicity of its organs, especially the legumes with seeds, in case of uses in gardens or parks frequented by children. It does not tolerate excessively hot and dry climates, above all it does not like the lowland environments characterized by very hot summers with the classic humidity hood that saturates the phyllosphere.