A friend gave me a seed this year also. I love this plant. Don't care if it ever blooms, the leaves are fantastic! I am growing it in one of my state fair garden plots and it should be over the fence by October. I started mine indoors in early May and planted it outside once the temps got up to 90 degrees. It is now taller than me and has no plans on stopping.

Does this have a'common' name? Are seeds available in stores?

John, I direct sowed mine early in the spring. I planted a few more, a little later, so I have different sizes right now.
You're so right, the foliage is wonderful. I hope I get lots of seeds! That's the only reason I really want it to bloom ;)

The common name is Seven Golden Candlesticks (I think). If I have seeds, I'll be happy to share some with you new2nc!

It has a bunch of common names, the one I hear most often is Candlestick Tree or Candlestick Plant.

The friend that gave me the seed said not to waste the effort to plant it early, that the seedlings just sit there until the weather gets hot (really hot, like 90). Once it gets going it will put on enormous size - in his yard they were like 10-12 feet tall. Amazing seeing as the seed was tiny (the size and shape of a bell pepper seed).

Happy to report that the cassia are bloomin'! They do look like golden candlesticks.
The plant is about 9 or 10' tall.

Just love this plant.

Angel,
Can you post a picture?

Alicia,
I'll get a good pic of the flowers tomorrow and post a pic ;)

A confession. I pilfered 4 seeds of Senna corymbosa from a plant at the Botanical Garden at New Orleans City Park last spring. Now of course that magnificent garden and glass greenhouse is underwater. The plants are doing fine in NC. I feel more guilty than ever now.

Oh Brenda....you should certainly feel less guilty for sure. "The plants are doing fine in NC". When I read your post, that line made me smile. Adele

Here's a pic of the cassia

{{gwi:582842}}

Oh...I'm thankful you pilfered! You SAVED a plant :)

I would love to have some seeds. It looks beautiful !!

The cassia must lend a very nice texture to your garden. What a lovely plant.

are any of you still growing this?? we call it candlebush down here in florida. i have one i am wanting to send my mom. will it come back year after year up there?? she i sin zone 7 (north asheville).

no one mentioned how crazy the butterflies are for the blooms.
thanks, cliff

Hey Freak - I responded to your other post. I would think that these guys are hard to transplant. I have only grown them from seeds. And yes, the Giant Cloudless Sulphurs love the blooms.

Is the candlestick tree hardy to zone 8?

Southern Living's book says that Cassia alata is hardy in the tropical south - which is mostly mid-Florida and lower, zone 10 and warmer 9. Even with global warming, I don't think Asheville makes it, and not really zone 8 - MAYBE in a particularily sheltered micro-climate, but it's questionable. It seems you would have to start from seed every year, or grow it in a pot that comes under cover for the winter, for the most part.

Cassia Alata is the name of a type of cinnamon - is this the plant it comes from??

Update on my pilfered Senna (syn with Cassia) corymbosa. It's hardy here! Both plants I grew from seed came back now last two springs. One even blooms in my dappled shade. Unfortunately, seed I collected did not germinate. If I get seed this year, I'm happy to share with others who might want to try this demure (but hardy) cousin to candlestick tree.

Oh I'd love to plant that cassia alata next year.

Who can advise me where to site it? What conditions it likes..how much sun and moisture??

I saw it growing at the edge of a pond in full sun near Charleston, SC...don't know if that helps or not. :)

Cassia alata needs full sun, and a lot of moisture but not soggy soil.

Kerry, no, the more "cheap" form of cinnamon is known as cassia--it is in a different genus--Cinnamomum cassia. Here in the US it is the typical cinnamon sold in stores as a spice. (real cinnamon is Cinnamomum zeylandicum/verum)

A lot of been still here referring to this plant as a Cassia (which refers now mainly to tree-form plants), and it has been botanically called Senna alata for many years.

I see a lot of posts here saying that this plant needs a lot of water. DO NOT over water this plant. It blooms much better when it is dryer.

All butterflies ignore the flowers on mine.
Meaning for nectar;
no doubt the flowers are a beacon for the sulphurs
in locating their host.

Regarding the question about transplantation
- big : never tried
- small and medium : reliably
- seedlings : hit and miss

I would like to know anyone's experience with
the pruning of small /medium,
for purpose of shaping.
My objective would be tighter growth,
i.e. closer and shorter fronds.

Four, I have never tried to grow it in NC, but I do have it in my yard in South FL as both a bush and a tree. I don't think you are going to get shorter fronds, but you can remove lower branches to form it into a tree on a single trunk. As a bush, I just prune it as any other bush. I prune before the dry season because that is when it blooms down here.

Thanks for the useful information, I would like to try bush style.
But mine (young) consist of one trunk, so, I do not know
how to apply the "prune it as any other bush".