Cassia Grandis – Plant

Cassia Senna alata, the candle bush, is an important medicinal tree, as well as an ornamental flowering plant in the subfamily Caesalpinioideae. It is also known as a candelabra bush, empress candle plant, ringworm tree, or candle tree. A remarkable species of Senna, it was sometimes separated in its own genus, Herpetica.

Senna alata is native to Mexico and can be found in diverse habitats. In the tropics, it grows up to an altitude of 1,200 m. It is an invasive species in Austronesia. In Sri Lanka, it is used as an ingredient in Sinhala traditional medicine. The shrub stands 3–4 m tall, with leaves 50–80 cm long. The inflorescence looks like a yellow candle. The fruit, shaped like a straight pod, is up to 25 cm long. Its seed is distributed by water or animals. The leaves close in the dark.

Senna alata is known as a Christmas candle because it has yellow flower spikes on its evergreen shrubbery that look like thick, waxy candlesticks. The plant is an easy-to-grow perennial that thrives in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 through 11. It also grows as an annual in zones 8 and 9. Simple propagation techniques will produce healthy specimens that provide a lovely floral display for your home garden and will also attract butterflies.