Q. I hope you can tell me what this tree is. It is in my friends yard in the Red Rock area.
A. This tree looks like, to me, like a Golden Rain Tree. We used to see a lot more planted in the Las Vegas area perhaps 20 to 30 years ago. With the explosion of so-called desert landscaping and the use of more trees native to the American deserts, we see fewer of these types of trees planted.
This tree is more common in colder climates, particularly in Colorado and Utah and Northern Nevada. It will do a little bit better if it is not planted in extreme hot locations here such as South or westerly exposures.
Koelreuteria paniculata Is the scientific name or Latin name if you want to Google it
You can get some more information here:
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/ptlk/1744.html
http://selectree.calpoly.edu/treedetail.lasso?rid=779
Water use of this tree is not particularly high. I would put it around the same as most of our ash trees of a similar size.
It is a good tree for our climate but it should be placed in the medium water use area of a mini oasis landscape or hydrozone. Because of its size it’s a suitable tree for single-story homes. It is deciduous so it is also suitable for summer shade.
No particular landscape problems of any merit. No particular insect or disease problems. A very nice medium-sized tree In the arid and desert Western United States. In the eastern United States where there is more rainfall it is considered to be invasive and people are warned about planting it. This would not be the case in our desert climate unless you are close to open waterways.