Laburnum is a genus of two species of small trees in the Fabaceae (pea family), Laburnum anagyroides (Common laburnum) and L. alpinum (Alpine laburnum), native to southern Europe.

They have yellow pea-flowers in pendulous racemes 10-30 cm long in spring, which makes them very popular garden trees. In L. anagyroides the racemes are 10-20cm long, with densely packed flowers; in L. alpinum the racemes are 20-30cm long, but with the flowers sparsely along the raceme.

The leaves are trifoliate, somewhat like a clover, the leaflets typically 2-3cm long in L. anagyroides and 4-5cm long in L. alpinum.

Most garden specimens are of the hybrid between the two species, Laburnum x watereri, which combines the longer racemes of L. alpinum with the denser flowers of L. anagyroides; it also has the benefit of low seed production (Laburnum seed toxicity is a common cause of piosoning in young children, who mistake the seeds for peas).

The yellow flowers are responsible for the old poetic name 'golden chain tree'.

All parts of the plant are poisonous.