17 Beautiful Cassia Tree Varieties

Cassia is the ultimate flowering tree. Regardless of the variety, a Cassia tree in bloom is a sight to behold. If you are looking for a spectacular tree to turn your garden into a tropical paradise, Cassia is the ideal choice. Depending on the variety, cassia trees may be evergreen, semi-evergreen or deciduous. This article will help you choose the best variety of cassia tree for your garden.

Either way, they produce brilliant, orange, red, pink, white, or yellow flowers that engulf the tree when in full bloom. Yellow is the most common flower type, which is why Cassia trees are sometimes called the Gold Medallion tree.   

Cassia is usually a mid-sized tree. Some varieties can reach up to a height of 12 feet, making Cassia a stunning centerpiece that can be seen from all around the neighborhood. It makes the perfect addition to any landscape. Moreover, it attracts wildlife, which means planting a Cassia tree will bring beautiful birds and butterflies into your garden.

Another great thing about Cassia is that it is relatively hardy and low maintenance. In addition, the tree is highly pest and disease resistant, so you will have one less thing to worry about. It is also adaptable to a number of different types of soils with low fertilizing needs. Finally, the tree is also fairly drought resistant.

Most varieties do well in a warm climate and require only occasional watering when the temperature rises. However, varieties occur in a range of climates and are often used for ornamental purposes. But that’s not it – they are also frequently used in reforestation projects, and desert species are used to prevent desertification. Read on to learn more about different Cassia tree varieties to find the one that’s perfect for your garden!

1. Shower of Gold/Golden Shower

• Cassia fistula
• Flowering in: Late Spring
• Height: 33 – 36 ft

‘Cassia fistula’ is a fast-growing, medium-sized tree with 6 to 24 inches long, pinnate, deciduous leaves. As the name suggests, the flowers are yellow in color. Each flower is about 4 to 5 comes in diameter with five petals of the same shape and size. The tree also produces legume fruits with a pungent fragrance and loads of seeds.  

2. Coral Shower

• Cassia grandis
• Flowering in: Dry season 
• Height: 82 – 98 ft 

‘Cassia grandis’ is one of the many Cassia tree species known as Pink Shower or Horse Cassia. It is generally planted as an ornamental tree. In the wild, it grows in forests and open fields from southern Mexico to Ecuador. The leaves are deciduous and pinnate. During the dry seasons, the tree sheds the leaves as paste pink flowers start to appear. It also produced wood-like fruit capsules carrying several seeds.

3. Pink Cassia

• Cassia javanica
• Flowering in: Spring 
• Height: 82 -132 ft 

‘Cassia javanica’ goes by many names, including Pink Shower, Apple Blossom, Rainbow Shower, and Java Cassia. It is found extensively in tropical areas worldwide. With a long straight trunk, the tree is a stunning sight covered with flowers ranging from pale to crimson pink with yellow stamens. The leaves are paripinnate, each having 12 pairs of elliptical leaflets. The fruit rests inside long, cylindrical pods that add to the beauty of the tree.  

4. Gold Medallion Tree

• Cassia leptophylla
• Flowering in: Intermittently throughout the year 
• Height: 20 – 25 ft 

Cassia leptophyllous is a tropical species native to Brazil. It is a broad semi-evergreen tree with low branches and reddish-brown bark. However, the most distinctive feature of the Gold Medallion is its thin foliage with glossy green pinnate leaflets. Terminals of 2 to 3 inch wide yellow flowers appear in early to mid-summer. Scattered blooming continues throughout the year. Flowers are followed by long, bean-like pods filled with seeds.  

5. Rainbow Shower

• Cassia x nealiae
• Flowering in: Spring or Summer 
• Height: 30 – 40 ft 

‘Cassia xnealiae’ is semi-evergreen to deciduous. It is a sterile hybrid between Golden Shower and Pink Cassia originating in Hawaii. Depending on the species, Cassia xnealiae produce flowers in a range of colors, ranging from pale and deep yellow to orange, hence the name – Rainbow Shower. The foliage is dark green, complementing the flowers. Occasionally seedpods appear after flowering. 

6. Marimari

• Cassia leiandra
• Flowering in: Spring or Summer 
• Height: Up to 32 ft 

‘Cassia leiandra’ is a small tree featuring a wide, spreading crown and a usually twisting trunk that is around 30 cm in diameter. The tree is popular for its edible fruits and has a long history of cultivation that goes back to Columbian times. However, thanks to the magnificent yellow flowers, it is also readily grown as an ornamental tree. It is also great for attracting wildlife.

7. West African Laburnum

• Cassia sieberiana 
• Flowering in: Dry Season 
• Height: 32 – 65 ft

‘Cassia sieberiana’ is native to Africa. Also known as the drumstick tree, it is found abundantly in African jungles and forests. The bark of the tree ranges from dark black to grey in color. Leaves contain about 7 to 10 pairs of leaflets that are smooth and shiny on the upper side. The tree produces very bright yellow flowers arranged in pendulous racemes of about 30 to 50 cm, followed by fruits.   

8. Long Pod Cassia

• Cassia abbreviata
• Flowering in: Dry Season 
• Height: 32 – 50 ft

‘Cassia abbreviate’ is a deciduous shrub with a round canopy. It is native to Africa and is known by different names, including Long-tail Cassia and Sjambok pod. The trunk of the tree is usually erect and slender, while the wood is dark and heavy. It is grown as an ornamental shrub for its beautiful yellow flowers. The flowers are scented and followed by long and slender seedpods.  

9. Kenyan Shower

• Cassia afrofistula
• Flowering in: any time of the year 
• Height: Up to 7 ft

‘Cassia afrofistula’ is a small shrub native to Africa. The leaves are paripinnate with 4 to 9 pairs of ovate tapering. Flowers are bright yellow and appear in pyramidal panicles. They are followed by brown pods that are around 60 cm long and tapering at both ends. 

10. Popcorn Cassia

• Cassia didymobotrya
• Flowering in: Spring through fall  
• Height: 6 -25 ft

‘Cassia didymobotrya’ is a legume indigenous to eastern and central Africa. It is a semi-deciduous shrub or small tree with multiple branches. The leaves are bright green and leathery. They are pinnately compound and grow up to 18 inches. However, plants grown in containers generally have smaller leaves. During the blooming season, the shrub produces dense flower spikes – each with 20 to 30 buds of bright buttery yellow color.    

11. Buy Cigar Cassia

• Cassia brewsteri
• Flowering in: Spring 
• Height: 6 -15 ft

Cassia brewsteri is another leguminous shrub native to Australia. These trees are primarily found in open forests and monsoon forests. It produces about 5 cm long bright green, waxy pinnate leaves. Flowers are yellow in color with intricate red markings. They appear in racemes and are followed by round pods.  

12. Bahama Senna Cassia

• Cassia bahamensis
• Flowering in: All year 
• Height: 2 – 4 ft

‘Cassia bahamensis’ is a small woody groundcover or small shrub. It grows naturally in pine Rocklands and Rockland hammock edges, producing beautiful 5-petaled flowers. As the plant grows, it becomes much broader than taller. It is also a fast grower. Unfortunately, it is listed as endangered by the state of Florida.  

13. Burmese Pink Cassia

• Cassia renigera
• Flowering in: Spring
• Height: 10 – 20 ft

‘Cassia renigera’ is an ornamental Cassia species. It is a small tree, but when the large, striking pink flowers appear, the tree is spectacularly beautiful. The clusters of flowers appear in small stems. Each flower is about 2 inches in diameter. When young, the flowers are deep pink. However, the color fades to almost white as flowers grow mature.     

14. Dwarf Apple Blossom Tree

• Cassia Bakeriana  
• Flowering in: Early Spring
• Height: 1 – 3 ft

‘Cassia Bakeriana’ is a broadleaf semi-evergreen tree also known as the “Wishing Tree.” Native to Southeastern Asia, it is a small tree that generally matures at 20 to 30 inches in height and width. It is grown ornamentally for its bright and showy flowers. The flowers range from pink to purple in color and are followed by large bean-like seed pods.

15. Yellow Shower

• Cassia queenslandica 
• Flowering in: Mid Summer 
• Height: 20 – 30 ft

‘Cassia queenslandica’ is quite similar to Cassia brewsteri. However, the two can be distinguished by petal size. Petals of Yellow Shower are about 15 to 20 mm long. On the other hand, the petals of Buy Cigar Cassia flowers are much smaller, at around 5 to 15 mm. As the name suggests, Yellow Shower produces yellow flowers, followed by cylindrical seedpods.

16. Brush Cassia

• Cassia marksiana 
• Flowering in: Summer 
• Height: 5 – 25 ft

‘Cassia marksiana’ is similar to the Golden Shower Tree but features darker flowers and smaller leaves. The flowers are golden yellow in color and hang in large clusters. The flowers are only beautiful but also fragrant. Foliage is fresh green, complementing the deep golden color. Brown, cylindrical fruits appear in winter.    

17. Twin Flowered Cassia

• Cassia biflora
• Flowering in: Late spring & autumn  
• Height: 6 – 8 ft

Cassia biflora is a deciduous to semi-deciduous shrub. While short in height, it spreads around 3 to 5 feet in diameter. It has light green pinnate leaves about 2 to 3 inches long, features 4 to 6 pairs of leaflets. Large yellow flowers appear in late spring and autumn. However, occasional blooming in summer is also common.