I grew this from seed a few months ago and it began flowering only recently. New seed pods have emerged. Candle Bush (Senna alata) is an important medicinal tree as well as an ornamental flowering plants in the subfamily Caesalpinioideae. It also known as a Candelabra Bush, Empress Candle Plant, Ringworm Tree or "candletree" and in Tamil as வண்டுகொல்லி[1]. 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 metres. It is an invasive species in Austronesia.
The shrub stands 3-4 m tall, with leaves 50-80 cm long. The infloresence looks like a yellow candle. The fruit shaped like a straight pod is up to 25 cm long. Its seed are distributed by water or animals. The leaves close in the dark.
Hi Russel,
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I have been looking around the road dividers , HDB empty lots and wastelands for Casia Alata.
have you seen any and if yes can you please tell me the location?
Hi Shiva, there's a huge clump at the junction of Jalan Pemimpin and Pemimpin drive, opposite this small temple. You can't miss it because it's huge and flowering all the time.
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