Cassia fistula
Fabaceae FAMILY Least Concern

Cassia fistula

Cassia fistula

Edibility
1/5
Medicinal
4/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Botanical Description

Cassia fistula is a small, slow-growing deciduous or semi-deciduous tree with a rather narrow crown in some reports, but spreading according to others. It can grow 10 - 15 metres tall[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. , 404 Title Digital Compendium of Forestry Species of Cambodia Publication Author Website http://www.digitalspecies.blogspot.com Publisher www.digitalspecies.blogspot.com; Phnom Penh Year 2008 ISBN Description A very detailed booklet, produced in PDF format on the internet, giving information on around 100 species of trees. ]. The bole can be 40 - 50cm in diameter[ 598 Title Trees of Laos and Vietnam - A Field Guide to 100 species. Publication Author Hoang Van Sam; Khamseng Nanthavong; Kessler P.J.A. Publisher Blumea Year 2004 ISBN Description A detailed guide, with excellent line-drawings, to 100 of the more important trees of Laos and Vietnam. A very good work, giving lots of information about each plant. Originally published in the journal Blumea, it is available as a PDF on the Interne ]. The tree has a very long history of medicinal use, dating back to ancient times, and it is still commonly used in modern medicine[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ]. It is harvested in very large quantities from the wild and traded for medicinal use in India[ 2020 Title Trade in Indian Medicinal Plants Publication Ethnobotany of India Vol 5., 321-345, 2018 Author D.K.Ved, S.Noorunnisa Begum, & K.Ravi Kumar Publisher Apple Academic Press; Oakville, Canada Year 2018 ISBN 978-1-77188-600-0 Description ]. The plant has often been cultivated for its medicinal use, and this has contributed to its spread around the tropics from its original home in southern India[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ]. It is now widespread in East Africa and several of the Indian Ocean islands[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ]. It is widely planted as an ornamental in the tropics, being especially attractive when commencing flowering since it is leafless at this time[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. , 303 Title World Agroforesty Centre Publication Author Website http://www.worldagroforestry.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc. ]. Cassia fistula has a very wide distribution, large population, is not currently experiencing any major threats and no significant future threats have been identified. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2018)[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ].

Habitat & Origin

Origintropical
Native RangeE. Asia - Indian subcontinent. Naturalized in other areas of the tropics, including east Africa.
HabitatDry deciduous forest at lower altitudes[ 303 Title World Agroforesty Centre Publication Author Website http://www.worldagroforestry.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc. ]. Open forest and grassland[ 310 Title Plant Resources of Southeast Asia Publication Author Website http://proseanet.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia. ].