Cassia ROXBURGHII

Cassia ROXBURGHII - Red cassia, Roxburgh's cassia, Ceylon senna, Cassia roxburghii.

Cassia is a genus of trees, shrubs, subshrubs, and herbs in the family Fabaceae, numbering around 30 species distributed across the tropical belt worldwide, primarily 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 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 filiform and curved.

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

Red cassia is a fairly rare small tree with very delicate pinnate foliage. The flowers are bright pink or red with yellow stamens. It is named in honor of the Scottish botanist William Roxburgh.

Seeds are pre-scarified (without breaking the outer seed coat germination will be minimal); for this, the outer coat is carefully filed or scratched with a hard tool without damaging the embryo, or small seeds are scalded with hot (~80 °C / 176 °F) water, after which they are soaked for 12 hours in cold water with added 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 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. Waterlogging and drying out of the sowings must be avoided.

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

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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 lighting, a sunny location, and moderate watering. When maintaining plants in indoor conditions, it is important to select the right light exposure.

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

When kept indoors at a temperature around 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 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 curtailed. Under dormant conditions, cassia is watered very moderately, almost sparingly.

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

In early spring, thorough pruning can be performed as needed, while in autumn only the current year's shoots are trimmed by one-third. Cassia responds well to training, providing a fine opportunity to try one's hand at the art of bonsai.