Yellow Cassia

Yellow Cassia

Family : Leguminoseae

Characteristic Feature:

Habit : Evergreen and ornamental tree specimen found in roadsides, garden.

Stem : Tree species about 200-300 cm tall with straight trunk, 30-35 cm in diameter, greyish brown, smooth, fissured at age. Branches many, borne top of trunk, grooved, branchlets greenish brown.

Leaves : alternate, pinnately compound, green, opposite, leaflets 6-14 in pairs with short stalk of 3mm, oblong, 4-7× 1.5-3 cm width, rounded at both ends, glabrous, primary vein 1 and secondary vein 6-8 pairs per leaf, petiole short.

Inflorescence : raceme, corymb, axillary peduncle, 2-4cm long.

Flowers : hermaphrodite, complete, bright yellow 2-3 cm across, sub persistent bract, pedicel 1-2cm long, pentamerous, sepals 5, unequal, imbricate, obtuse at apex, yellowish green, 0.4-0.5 × 0.2-0.3 cm, pubescent, ovate, concave, hairy on outside, connate at the base, petals 5, bright yellow, dark colour vein, sub equal, obtuse, orbicular, upper petal shortly clawed, 0.5- 1 × 0.3-0.5 cm. Androecium stamen 10, unequal, 3 reduced to staminoids, 2-4 mm long; 7 fertile, 3 larger, 0.8-1 cm long filament, 6-7mm long anthers, 4 lateral stamen, 0.5-0.8 cm long filament, 4-5 mm anther, yellowish green filament, brownish yellow anther, anther basifixed, filament straight. Gynoecium carpel, monocarpellary, style green 0.8-1.2 cm long, stigma greenish brown.

Fruits ; pods numerous, long, narrow, 5-25 × 10-12 mm, flat dark, brown, strap shaped, stipitate, terete to compressed, dehiscent, with septae between the numerous seeds.

seeds : bean shaped, shiny, dark.