Laburnum
Poisonous 
Autumn 
Spring 
Summer 
Winter
Not as poisonous as was once thought but can still cause vomiting, lethargy, frothing at the mouth and convulsions. There are many species of Laburnum and some hybrids, all of them and all parts of them are poisonous.
| Hedgerow Type | |
| Common Names | Laburnum, Golden Chain |
| Scientific Name | Laburnum sp. |
| Season Start | Jan |
| Season End | Dec |
Leaves
Has clover like trifoliate green leaves.
Flowers
Yellow pea like flowers hanging in long, pendulous racemes for about three weeks, normally at the end of May and beginning of June.
Seed Pods
The seed pods hang off the tree in great numbers in early Summer looking very much like pea pods, this is hardly surprising as Laburnum is in the Faboideae family, a subfamily of the Fabaceae or Pea family.
Bark
Fairly smooth for bark and can have multiple trunks/stems.
Habitat
Originally from southern Europe it is now mainly in gardens as an ornamental but can occasionally be found as an escapee.
Frequency
Fairly common.
Other Facts
There are many cases of Laburnum poisoning but most involve just nausea or vomiting quickly followed by a full recovery. Although thankfully rare, deaths from Laburnum poisoning have been reported. The main toxin in the plant is cytisine.
Laburnum wood should not be burned as the smoke produced is also toxic.
4 comments for Laburnum
When and how do you plant pods??? What kind of lighting should we plant it in??? How far apart???
Remove the seeds from the pods, store them in a dry place until March or April then plant a few in some moist compost in pots, they like water but not being waterlogged. When they come up you can transfer them to larger pots and plant out at any time between September and March. Laburnum likes full sun if possible and can also take the frost in winter. Do not feed or water them once established. Do not place near a pond as it will poison the water and remember to advise any children that the peas are poisonous.
I taken the seeds from my tree as it was beautiful this yr I was planning to propagate them and give them away to people in the village,but worried they may cause problems with poisoning
Laburnum is a beautiful tree that is growing all over the UK and we do not hear of poisonings every year so I think it will be fine as long as you warn your friends that they are poisonous.