Cassia GRANDIS

Cassia GRANDIS - Coral shower tree, Pink shower tree, Grand cassia, Belize bukut.

Can be grown in bonsai style!

Cassia is a genus of trees, shrubs, subshrubs, and herbs in the legume family (Fabaceae), numbering about 30 species distributed across the tropical zone worldwide, predominantly in the deserts of Africa and Asia.

Plants of the genus have spirally arranged leaves, alternate, even-pinnate, consisting of four to five pairs of lanceolate, pointed leaflets. It blooms from late June until autumn. Yellow flowers, gathered in terminal axillary panicles, have 5 sepals and broad, unequal petals. There are ten stamens of varying lengths. The ovary is stipitate, and the style is filiform, curved.

The fruit is a broad elongated pod, cylindrical or nearly compressed, 30-60 cm (12-24 in) in length, indehiscent. The endocarp between each pair of consecutive seeds forms a complete septum. Seeds are numerous, arranged in one or two rows.

Coral shower tree is a very attractive evergreen tree. Flowers are bright pink, gathered in panicles. The foliage is elegant, pinnate. At a young age, leaves have a lavender hue, making this plant very appealing even when not in bloom. It grows in warm climatic zones.

Seeds are preliminary scarified (without disrupting the outer coat, germination will be minimal); for this, the outer coat is carefully filed or scratched with a hard tool without damaging the seed, while smaller seeds are scalded with hot (~80 °C [~176 °F]) water, then soaked for 12 hours in cold water with the addition of stimulants (SUPERthrive, HB-101, Aminozol, Epin, or Zircon), then sown in a light, breathable mix to a depth of 0.7-1 cm (0.3-0.4 in), moistened from a spray bottle, placed in a greenhouse or covered with film, and germinated in light but not in direct sun at a temperature of 22-30 °C (72-86 °F). Sprouts require ventilation. It is necessary to avoid waterlogging and drying out of sowings.

The first sprouts appear several weeks after planting. At the stage of 2-4 pairs of true leaflets appearing, pricking out of seedlings into individual pots or into open ground is carried out.

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Cassia is very undemanding in cultivation. The optimal conditions in open-ground culture for cassias are a hot summer climate without frost in winter, good illumination, a sunny location, and moderate watering. When keeping plants under indoor conditions, it is important to choose the proper lighting regime.

It prefers a sunny exposure with at least six hours of sunlight per day, without overexposing to direct sun rays and providing shading on very hot summer days. In the winter period without supplemental lighting, it may drop some of its leaves.

When kept in rooms with a temperature of about 20 °C (68 °F), many species become evergreen. During the dormant period, the temperature minimum is 10 °C (50 °F). If the plant is provided with a dormant period, flowering will be more abundant.

Mature plants are extremely drought-resistant; however, during active growth, abundant watering is required as the topsoil dries. In winter, watering frequency depends on maintenance temperature. When kept at room temperature, watering is gradually limited in autumn. Under dormant conditions, Cassia is watered very moderately, almost sparingly.

The plant is undemanding regarding soil composition, but mixtures with sand are preferable. In early spring, Cassia can begin being fertilized twice a month with complete liquid mineral and organic fertilizers. From May to August, feeding is conducted weekly. When kept under warm conditions in winter, it can be fed every month.

In early spring, thorough pruning can be performed as needed; in autumn, only current-year shoots are trimmed, and only by one third. Cassia responds well to shaping, which offers an excellent opportunity to try one's hand at the art of bonsai.