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"
Laburnum the Pacific Northwest and Northern Europe. "Laburnum" trees are ubiquitous in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, where they are commonly planted as lawn specimens or in shrub borders. Most garden specimens are of the hybrid between the two species, "Laburnum" ×"watereri" 'Vossii' (Voss's laburnum), which combines the longer racemes of "L. alpinum" with the denser flowers of "L. anagyroides"; it also has the benefit of low seed production. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. Laburnum Laburnum, sometimes called golden chain or golden rain, is a genus of two species of small trees in the subfamily