Common Name:

General Information

Cassia leptophylla is an evergreen tree with a dense, globose crown; it can grow 8 - 10 metres tall. The short, usually crooked bole can be 30 - 40cm wide with a thick, exfoliating bark[].
A magnificent sight when in full bloom, the tree is often used in landscaping and for street planting[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

S. America - southern Brazil.

Habitat

Araucaria forest and semideciduous forests at higher elevations, most commonly in more open, secondary formations[].

Properties

Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	9.00 m
Growth Rate	Medium
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant mainly of the subtropical and low tropical region of southern Brazil.
Succeeds in full sun[]. Requires a well-drained soil[]. Established plants are drought tolerant[].
A fairly fast growing tree, able to reach a height of around 2.5 metres within 2 years from seed[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

A fairly fast-growing tree, able to tolerate full sun even when small, it can be used as a pioneer species when establishing woodland[].

Other Uses

The wood is moderately heavy, hard, compact, with reverse fibres, moderately durable even when exposed to the elements. It can be used in light workmanship, for the manufacture of toys, boxes, plywood etc[].

Propagation

Seed - it has a hard seedcoat and may benefit from scarification before sowing to speed up germination. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing. Sow the seed in a partially shaded position in a nursery seedbed or in individual containers. A germination rate of less than 50% can be expected, with the seed sprouting within 15 - 35 days[]. When the seedbed-sown seedlings are 4 - 6cm tall, pot them up into individual containers and they should be ready to plant out 5 - 6 months later[].
The seed has a viability in excess of 10 years in storage, so long as they are stored dry in an airtight container to protect them from insect damage[].

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