Laburnum anagyroides plant contain cytisine and are poisonous if consumed. The wood is hard and heavy, of a yellow/brown colour, ideal for making posts, for woodturning and as fuel. In the past (and today on historic re-enactments) it was used for making bows. The tree is also known as "false ebony" since the wood from very old specimens could be used in place of ebony. "Laburnum anagyroides" is cultivated as an ornamental tree. The most common ornamental plant in the genus is a hybrid between this species and "Laburnum alpinum" — Laburnum × watereri. The English poet Francis Thompson described the "laburnum"
Flowers Are Red in a corner. Finally, the now terrified little boy gives in and tells the teacher that "flowers are red, and green leaves are green." When he goes to a different school, a new teacher encourages her students to use all sorts of colors, only to find the student only coloring his flowers red and green; when the new teacher asks the boy why, he meekly responds by quoting his previous teacher—"flowers are red, and green leaves are green." In the live concert versions, Chapin extended the song's ending to: "There still must be a way to have our children say..."