Cassia JAVANICA 'NODOSA'

Cassia JAVANICA 'NODOSA' - Pink shower tree, Apple blossom tree, Cassia javanica 'Nodosa', Apple Blossom.

Can be grown in bonsai style!

Cassia is a genus of trees, shrubs, subshrubs, and herbs in the family Fabaceae, comprising about 30 species distributed in the tropical belt worldwide, predominantly in the deserts of Africa and Asia.

Plants of the genus have spirally arranged leaves that are alternate and even-pinnate, consisting of four to five pairs of lanceolate, pointed leaflets. It blooms from late June to 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; the style is threadlike and curved.

The fruit is a wide, elongated pod, cylindrical or somewhat compressed, 30-60 cm (11.8-23.6 in) long, indehiscent. The endocarp forms a complete partition between each pair of consecutive seeds. The seeds are numerous, arranged in one or two rows.

Cassia javanica 'Nodosa' is a tree up to 20 m (65.6 ft) tall with pendulous, slender, slightly pubescent twigs. The leaves are 15-30 cm (5.9-11.8 in) long; leaflets number 5-12 pairs, measuring 2-5 × 1.2-2 cm (0.8-2.0 × 0.5-0.8 in), nearly leathery, hairy below, sparsely pubescent above, with a slightly asymmetrical base. Racemes are lateral on short lateral branches; the inflorescence axis is slender. Sepals are green, ovate. Petals are deep yellow, ovate, 2.5-3 × 1-1.5 cm (1.0-1.2 × 0.4-0.6 in). The pod is brownish-black, cylindrical, 30-45 × 1-1.5 cm (11.8-17.7 × 0.4-0.6 in), with prominent annular nodes.

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

First seedlings appear several weeks after planting. At the stage of 2-4 pairs of true leaves appearing, seedlings are pricked out into individual pots or into open ground.

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Cassia is very unpretentious in cultivation. Optimal conditions in outdoor culture for cassias are a hot summer climate without frost in winter, good illumination, a sunny location, and moderate watering. When keeping plants at home, it is important to select appropriate lighting conditions.

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

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

Mature plants are extremely drought-tolerant; however, during the active growth period, abundant watering is required as the top layer of soil dries out. In winter, watering frequency depends on the ambient temperature. When kept at room temperature in autumn, watering is gradually restricted. Under dormancy conditions, cassia is watered very moderately, almost sparingly.

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

In early spring, substantial pruning can be performed as needed; in autumn, only current-year growth is pruned back by one third. Cassia responds well to shaping, which offers a great opportunity to try your hand at the art of creating bonsai.