Cassia Fistula

Description

A show-stopping bloom of five-petaled, perfumed yellow flowers bloom in 8-18" pendulous, terminal racemes covers the tree with profuse bloom. Leaves return as the flowering progresses, although it is often considered to be semi-evergreen because of this brief loss of leaves. A second less significant bloom often occurs later in the season but without loss of leaves. It will tolerate light brief frost, but can get damaged if frost persists. It is the national flower of Thailand, its yellow flowers symbolizing Thai royalty, and is also native to India, Malaysia and Southeast Asia, and is well-known for producing a show-stopping bloom of yellow flowers in May, June and July. There are also many traditional medicinal uses known from Asia. The flesh of the fruit is used as a laxative, while the bark can be used to treat skin infections and in India the strongly scented pulp is sometimes added to tobacco and smoked!

Sowing Advice

These seeds have already been thoroughly cleaned and should be sown into a well-drained, sandy compost at any time of the year, and covered thinly with sand or grit and kept moist. Keep at between 20-25 degrees C. Seeds sometimes germinate within 4 to 6 weeks although some may take very much longer so please be patient. Plant out in the open ground in warmer countries or in a large container elsewhere.

Key Facts