Common Name: Apple Blossom Shower

General Information

Apple blossom shower is a deciduous tree with a large crown; it usually grows more than 10 metres tall with occasional specimens up to 30 metres. The bole is often curved, it can be up to 60cm in diameter[, ].
The plant is gathered from the wild for local medicinal use, and is also sometimes grown for shade in plantations[]. It is widely grown as an ornamental in gardens and as a street tree[, ].
Cassia javanica has a very wide native range and it is assumed that the population is large and that there are no major threats. In addition, the species is widely cultivated and has been introduced outside of its native range. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2019)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - China, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines.

Habitat

Usually found at low elevations in more open sites in the forest, but can also occur in closed evergreen primary forest, deciduous monsoon forest and in more open or even savannah-like habitats[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	15.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the lowland tropics and subtropics where it can be found at elevations up to 400 metres. It grows best in areas where the mean annual temperatures are within the range 19 - 25°c, and the mean annual rainfall is in the range 650 - 2,400mm[].
Requires a sunny position[]. The plant is found in a wide range of habitats, the various subspecies showing preferences for either dry or moist habitats on a wide variety of soils including fertile volcanic loams, and from marshy, sandy and limestone soils[]. Established plants are drought tolerant[].
A fast-growing species[].
The plant is not resistant to fire[].
This is a very polymorphic species with a wide distribution from N India through the Indochinese Peninsula and the Malesian region to New Guinea. Altogether, seven subspecies are recognized[]. The subsp agnes (de Wit) K. Larsen is most commonly grown as an ornamental because of its larger flowers[].

Edible Uses

The seeds are chewed together with betel pepper as a stimulating masticatory[].

Medicinal

The ripe pods and seeds are used as a traditional laxative[].

The bark and seeds are used as antipyretics in the treatment of fevers[]. Some caution is advised since they can cause emesis[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The tree is planted to provide shade in plantations[].

Other Uses

The bark has been used for tanning, but the amount of tannin is comparatively low[].

The heartwood is light-yellow when first cut, becoming red to pale orange-brown with age; it is demarcated, but not always sharply, from the 2 - 5cm wide band of sapwood. The texture is moderately fine; the grain interlocked; the taste bitter. The wood is moderately heavy, hard, strong, moderately durable when exposed to the weather or in contact with the ground, but very durable for interior work. It has poor resistance to termites and other insects. It is used for general construction, furniture and cabinet making[, ].
Smaller pieces of the wood are used for fuel and to make charcoal[].

Propagation

Seed - scarifying the seed, or pre-soaking in warm water for 12 - 24 hours can improve germination rates. Germination rates of 20 - 70% have been recorded, with the seed taking from 5 days to 1 year to germinate[].
Fresh seed can be stored for only 3 weeks in airtight containers, but storing dry seeds for over one year is also reported[].

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Captcha: if i have 3 bananas, and i eat them all, how many bananas did i just eat?