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Cassia fistula

Golden shower tree अमलतास

Native

Commonly known as Indian Laburnum, Amaltas, Purging fistula, Fistula, Purging cassia, Garmalo.

The tree behind one of India's most spectacular summer sights, long, drooping racemes of bright yellow flowers covering the entire crown in a single burst, sometimes continuing sporadically for up to three months. A small, slow-growing deciduous tree, 10-15 metres tall, it eventually produces long, cylindrical, dark seed pods packed with a sweet, sticky pulp.

The plant

Habit Tree

Origin Native

Flowering Summer

Edible Yes, To be verified

Growing it

Sun Full sun

Water Plenty of water

Drainage Needs to drain well

Soil Loam, sandy, rich in organic matter

Soil pH 5.5–8.7

Started from Seed, Cuttings

Life it supports

No specific wildlife-relationship data recorded for this species.

How to grow it

The hard seed coat needs scarification, either mechanically or with concentrated sulphuric acid for at least 45 minutes, or pre-soak for 12-24 hours in warm water.
Sow in full light with plenty of water, the seed can triple in weight as it absorbs moisture, and germination follows within a few days.
Direct sowing is common practice across Asia.
Seed stores well over long periods without losing viability.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood also work.

The story

Ayurveda describes it as sweet, cooling, and laxative, used against colic, fever, dysentery, heart disease, worms, and urinary infections. It's traditionally grown in deciduous forests across India, frequently found in sal forests and, in South India, alongside sandalwood.

What it is used for

That pod pulp, mildly laxative and mucilaginous, is one of Ayurveda's oldest and most reliable gentle laxatives, used even in modern paediatric medicine.
Flowers are edible; bark is used in betel paste.
Beyond the well-documented laxative use, research has found the seed powder effective against Entamoeba histolytica (the parasite behind amoebic dysentery), while bark extracts show antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, and leaf extracts show antibacterial and wound-healing effects.
Bark and leaves are applied to skin problems and used to bandage broken bones and ulcers; a root decoction purifies wounds and treats fever.

These uses are documented for information only and are not medical advice. Always verify the species and the plant part before use.

Where it is found

India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Malay Islands, and China, up to 1,220m in sub-Himalayan tracts and the outer Himalayas.

Sources

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