Other Names:  Siamese Cassia, Kassod Tree

Description:

A medium shade tree with oval, dark green compound leaves, and covered with racemes of yellow pea-like flowers in flushes throughout the year; excellent as a landscape feature or street tree; considered invasive in some areas

Ornamental Features

Siamese Senna features showy panicles of yellow pea-like flowers at the ends of the branches from late winter to late fall. It has attractive dark green evergreen foliage. The oval compound leaves are highly ornamental and remain dark green throughout the winter. The fruits are showy green pods which fade to black over time, which are displayed from mid spring to early winter. The fruit can be messy if allowed to drop on the lawn or walkways, and may require occasional clean-up. The warty gray bark and brown branches add an interesting dimension to the landscape.

Landscape Attributes

Siamese Senna is an open multi-stemmed evergreen tree with a more or less rounded form. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This tree will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It is a good choice for attracting birds and bees to your yard. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Spreading
• Invasive
• Self-Seeding

Siamese Senna is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Shade
• Hedges/Screening
• Windbreaks and Shelterbelts
• Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens

Planting & Growing

Siamese Senna will grow to be about 40 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 40 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 3 feet from the ground, and should not be planted underneath power lines. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 40 years or more.

This tree does best in full sun to partial shade. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist locations, and should do just fine under average home landscape conditions. This plant is capable of fixing its own nitrogen, which means that it is effectively self-fertilizing. As a result it should not require supplemental fertilizing, and if you do fertilize it, be sure to only use a low-nitrogen fertilizer to promote root growth. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in poor soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is not originally from North America, and parts of it are known to be toxic to humans and animals, so care should be exercised in planting it around children and pets..