Cassia javanica L.

Authority

Isley, Duane. 1975. Leguminosae of the United States: II. Subfamily Caesalpinioideae. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 25 (2): 1-228.

Family

Caesalpiniaceae

Scientific Name

Cassia javanica L.

Description

Species Description - Tree to 20 m with spreading branches and a sometimes spiny trunk. Twigs and leaf axes puberulent or not. Leafstalk l-2(-3.5) dm, eglandular; leaflets 8— 10(— 12) pairs, petioluled, elliptic to elliptic-oblong, 3-5(-8) cm, 1.5-2.5 r, acute or rounded. Stipules auriculate, 1-2 cm, quickly deciduous. Flowers in short, 5-10 cm, stiff, conspicuously bracted, intercalary racemes, or these often congested into compound terminal inflorescences. Bracts 5-10 mm, mosdy persistent through flowering. Pedicels 3-5 cm; sepals subequal, 8-10 mm; corolla pink to white or bicolored, (-4)5-6(-7) cm diam; functional stamens 9-10, the lower 3 arcuate-exserted, with medially nodose filaments and slightly pubescent anthers; pistil villosulous. Legume indehiscent, linear, terete, (2-)3-4(-6) dm long, ca 1.5 dm diam, glabrous, black, woody but thin-valved, internally septate. Seeds many.

Discussion

C. granáis Hort. p.p. C. nodosa Hort. CN 2w = 28 (Turner and Irwin, 1960). n = 14 (Bir and Sidhu, 1966). And others with base 14. Cassia javanica as above characterized includes U.S. material previously referred both to C. javanica and to the related and dubiously distinct C. nodosa Buch.-Ham. ex Roxb. Merrill (1910) regarded C. nodosa as a synonym of C. javanica. De Wit (1955), with reservations, and Brenan (1967) use both names but distinguish the species on different bases. Barrett (1956) finds both Cassia javanica and C. nodosa in Florida and de Wit’s key apportions cultivated material among the two species. Irwin and Turner (1960) report a gametic chromosome number of 12 for C. nodosa confirming Atchinson’s (1951) 2n = 24 and contrasting with a sporophytic 28 for reports of C.javanica (Irwin and Turner, 1960; Bir and Sidhu, 1966). But Mehra and Hans (1969) and Tandon and Bhat (1970) have n = 14 for C. nodosa. It is possible to divide most Florida material into two groups: (1) Leaflets 8-9 pairs, elliptic to elliptic-lanceolate, 7-8.5 cm, 2.1-2.5 r, acute-tipped; pedicels to 5 cm; petals 3-3.5 cm; trunk sometimes spiny, (2) leaflets 9-11 pairs, 3-4 cm, 1.5-2 r, elliptic to obovate-elliptic, rounded or emarginate at apex; pedicels to 4 cm; petals 2-2.8 cm; trunk said not to be spiny. The second group with smaller leaflets includes most U.S. material passing as C. nodosa and approximates Barrett’s (1956) concept. But her cultivated plant does not match C. nodosa of the Old World provisionally distinguishable as follows: 1. Flowers smaller, petals 1.2-1.5 cm; pedicels filiform; leaflets 6-8 pairs, usually acute; stipules ca 5 mm, lanceolate, not folióse. C. nodosa. 1. Flowers larger, petals 2.4-2.9 cm; pedicels robust; leaflets 8-11 pairs, acute or rounded; stipules (evident only on new growth) 10-25 mm, folióse. C. javanica. On this basis, C. nodosa, whatever its status may be, is not yet encountered in the United States. And Irwin (in litt.) observes “I am inclined to feel that all material grown in the U.S. is this species [C. javanica], not C. nodosa, although I am not very confident that these are readily distinguishable.” Possibly our two groups approximately represent the propagative progeny of two different introductions of one species. Barrett (1956) says that C.javanica and C. fistula readily cross with one another producing Rainbow Showers. Some relevant specimens have been seen, the putatively hybrid trees being said to be sterile.

Distribution

S Florida, Dade co. and e coast n to Manatee co. as to records. Cult, ornamental. April-June(-Sept.). Pink shower. Rainbow shower. Native to se Asia.

Asia|