The flowers are small and yellow with a touch of red at the base, with four petals, produced in large branched panicles that are 20–50 cm long.

The fruit is a three-lobed inflated papery capsule that is 3–6 cm long, of a faint reddish colour, showy, containing several hard, nut-like seeds which are 5–10 mm in diameter with a pink color.

Branches are upright growing, bend down somewhat as the tree grows, they might break due to poor collar formation, pruning is required to build a strong branching structure and a single stem, if wished, and also for the pedestrians and vehicles clearance if necessary.

The tree is native to Southern China; its discovery is credited to Delavay who collected it in Yunnan in 1886.

They tolerate nutritionally poor soil including: clay, sand, well drained alkaline loam; they require full sun but not a lot of watering.