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''Cassia javanica'', also known as Java cassia, pink shower, apple blossom tree, rainbow shower tree, and Palawan cherry, is a species of
tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...
in the family
Fabaceae Fabaceae () or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomen ...
. Its origin is in
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
, but it has been extensively grown in tropical areas worldwide as a garden tree owing to its beautiful crimson and pink flower bunches.


Description

''Cassia javanica'' is a fast growing, deciduous / semi-deciduous tree which flowers in spring and sheds its leaves in the winter months. It has a straight trunk that reaches heights of 25 - 40m. The leaves are
paripinnate Pinnation (also called pennation) is the arrangement of feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common Anatomical terms of location#Axes, axis. Pinnation occurs in biological morphology (biology), morphology, in Crysta ...
with 12 pairs of elliptical leaves. The flowers range in colour from pale pink to crimson with yellow coloured stamens and are found in open clusters. The ground under the tree is covered with a beautiful carpet of pink towards the end of the flowering season. The fruit are housed in long cylindrical dark brown pods. Because of its beauty and suitable size ''C. javanica'' is planted as a shade and ornamental tree on streets and in parks. ''C. javanica'' is polymorphic and several sub species such as those listed below exist.Agroforestree Database:a tree reference and selection guide
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Taxonomy

''Cassia javanica'' was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753, and published in his work ''
Species Plantarum ' (Latin for "The Species of Plants") is a book by Carl Linnaeus, originally published in 1753, which lists every species of plant known at the time, classified into genus, genera. It is the first work to consistently apply binomial nomenclature ...
''


Subspecies

Seven subspecies are recognised by
Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online taxonomic database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. History Following the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew launched Plants of the World Online i ...
, as follows: *''C. j.'' subsp. ''agnes'' (
de Wit De Wit or de Wit is a surname of Dutch origin meaning "the white (one)", thought to be generally a reference to blond hair. In 2007, 24,904 people had this name in Netherlands alone, making it the 21st most common name in that country.Leendert Br ...
) K.Larsen
– synonyms ''Cassia agnes'' , ''Cassia javanica'' var. ''agnes'' , ''Cassia indochinensis'' , '' Cassia javanica'' var. ''indochinensis'' *''C. j.'' subsp. ''bartonii'' (
F.M.Bailey Frederick Manson Bailey (8 March 1827 – 25 June 1915) was a botanist active in Australia, who made valuable contributions to the characterisation of the flora of Queensland. He was known by his middle name, Manson. Early life Bailey was bo ...
) K.Larsen
– synonym ''Cassia bartonii'' *''C. j.'' subsp. ''javanica'' L. *''C. j.'' subsp. ''microcalyx'' ( H.S.Irwin &
Barneby Rupert Charles Barneby (6 October 1911 – 5 December 2000) was a British-born self-taught botanist whose primary specialty was the Fabaceae (Leguminosae), the pea family, but he also worked on Menispermaceae and numerous other groups. He was emp ...
) K.Larsen
– synonym ''Cassia javanica'' var. ''microcalyx'' *''C. j.'' subsp. ''nodosa'' ( Buch.-Ham. ex Roxb.) K.Larsen & S.S.Larsen – synonyms ''Cassia nodosa'' , ''Cathartocarpus nodosus'' *''C. j.'' subsp. ''pubiflora'' ( Merr.) K.Larsen – synonym ''assia javanica'' var. ''pubiflora'' *''C. j.'' subsp. ''renigera'' ( Wall. ex
Benth. George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studie ...
) K.Larsen
– synonym ''Cassia renigera''


Range

The natural range of this species is from
Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...
(far northeastern India), to southern China, south through
Malesia Malesia is a biogeographical region straddling the Equator and the boundaries of the Indomalayan and Australasian realms. It is a phytogeographical floristic region in the Paleotropical kingdom. It was first recognized as a distinct region ...
and
Papuasia Papuasia is a Level 2 botanical region defined in the World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions (WGSRPD). It lies in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, in the Melanesia ecoregion of Oceania and Tropical Asia. It comprises th ...
, to
Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
(Australia). It has been introduced to other tropical countries and areas, including India, Hawaii, Sri Lanka, tropical America and tropical Africa.


Flowering season

In India, ''C. javanica'' flowers in April/May and fruits and sheds its leaves in December. In Thailand, ''C. javanica'' flowers between Feb and April. In the Philippines, ''C. j. nodosa'' flowers between February until the summer season. In East Java, ''C. javanica'' flowers between October and December and fruits in the dry season.


Cultural importance

''Cassia javanica'' is one of Thailand's Nine Auspicious Trees and is said to bring good luck, ensure continued high rank and afford victory. Its flower is the provincial flower of
Chainat Province Chai Nat (, ) is one of the central Provinces of Thailand, provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. Neighbouring provinces are (from north clockwise) Nakhon Sawan province, Nakhon Sawan, Sing Buri province, Sing Buri, Suphanburi province, Suphan Bu ...
,
Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
. The subspecies native to the
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
is subspecies pubiflora, which is found only on
Luzon Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...
in the provinces of
Bataan Bataan (, , , ; ) , officially the Province of Bataan, is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Its capital is the city of Balanga while Mariveles is the largest town in the province. Occupying the entire Bataan Peninsula ...
,
Bulacan Bulacan, officially the Province of Bulacan (; ; ; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines, region. Its capital is the city of Malolos. Bulacan was established on ...
,
Ilocos Sur Ilocos Sur (), officially the Province of Ilocos Sur (; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region in Luzon. Located on the mouth of the Mestizo River is the capital of Vigan, while Candon is ...
,
Rizal Rizal most commonly refers to: * Rizal (province), a province of the Philippines * José Rizal, Filipino national hero whom the province is named after Rizal may also refer to: People * Akmal Rizal Ahmad Rakhli, Malaysian footballer * Atep Ri ...
, and
Zambales Zambales, officially the Province of Zambales (; ; ; ; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines, region. Its capital is Iba, Zambales, Iba, which is located in t ...
; there also were historical records from
Metro Manila Metropolitan Manila ( ), commonly shortened to Metro Manila and formally the National Capital Region (NCR; ), is the capital region and largest List of metropolitan areas in the Philippines, metropolitan area of the Philippines. Located ...
. The so-called 'Palawan cherry blossom' is not a native of the
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
and is composed of
Cassia grandis ''Cassia grandis'', one of several species called pink shower tree, and known as carao in Spanish language, Spanish, is a flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to the neotropics, that grows up to . The species is distributed from southe ...
, Cassia nodosa subsp. javanica, Cassia nodosa subsp. nodosa, and at least one hybrid of one of those. Though locally called ''balayong'' and honored through the Balayong Festival in
Puerto Princesa Puerto Princesa (, American Spanish: , European Spanish: ), officially the City of Puerto Princesa (Cuyonon language, Cuyonon: ''Siyudad i'ang Puerto Princesa''; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in th ...
,
Palawan Palawan (, ), officially the Province of Palawan (; ), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of . The capital and largest c ...
, it is most definitely not a true native of Palawan, having been introduced there as a timber tree. As an introduced tree without a local epithet, the locals needed a name for which to market it. Since the wood- pinkish when cut- is very similar to that of the true ''balayong'' or
Afzelia rhomboidea ''Afzelia rhomboidea'' is a species of plant in the family Fabaceae. It is found in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. It is threatened by habitat loss. References

* Afzelia, rhomboidea Vulnerable plants Decorative fruits and seed ...
, the name was given and has since stuck.


Uses

It is used medicinally as a substitute to ''
Cassia fistula ''Cassia fistula'', also known as golden shower, purging cassia, Indian laburnum, kani konna, or pudding-pipe tree,U. S. Department of Agriculture, William Saunders; Catalogue of Economic Plants in the Collection of the U. S. Department of Agric ...
'' for treating constipation, colic, chlorosis and urinary disorders. Its leaves are effective against herpes simplex and the bark of ''C. javanica'' is one of the ingredients in ayurvedic and other traditional medicine antidiabetic formulations. ''C. javanica'' yields a lightweight to heavy hardwood that is used for general construction, furniture and cabinet making. The bark of ''C. javanica'' is used for tanning in the leather processing industry.Online Manual for the Forest Tree Seeds of Kerala
/ref>


References


External links


Sai Yok National Park MyanmarCassia Javanica Bangalore
{{Taxonbar, from=Q164110 javanica Trees of China Flora of tropical Asia Garden plants of Asia Ornamental trees Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus