Yellow beauties that bloom from April to June
Cassia fistula
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In bloom, this tree is unmistakable for its bright yellow and cream bunches of flowers. Photograph © the author
Common English name: Indian Laburnum
- Family: Fabaceae (the bean family)
- (Sinhala name: Ehela; Tamil name: Thirukkondrai)
This is a common, native tree of the dry and intermediate zones and is a sub-canopy tree of monsoon forests. It sheds its leaves during the dry season.
The flowers are in lovely, pendulous bunches and are a bright yellow to pale cream. There is a spectacular flowering season from April to June.
The leaves are divided into oval-shaped leaflets, each with a pointed apex. Fruits are very long (30-60 cm) blackish pods.
This tree is used as an ornamental species in urban areas. The leaves, flowers, fruit pulp, bark and roots are used variously for respiratory diseases, malaria, rheumatism and as a laxative and insecticide.
Extracted from ‘What tree is that? The Ruk Rakaganno Layperson’s Guide to Some Trees of Sri Lanka’. Text updated by the author using ‘Flowering plants commonly encountered in Sri Lankan habitats’ by Sriyanie Miththapala, Siril Wijesundara and Janaki Galappatti (2011). National Trust: Colombo.
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