What is the golden-shower tree?

By Chelsie Vandaveer

January 21, 2002

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The golden shower tree (Cassia fistula Linnaeus) has cascading racemes of fragrant, brilliant yellow flowers during the summer. Native to Asia, the tree grows to about 30 feet. Linnaeus officially named it Cassia fistula in 1753, but the tree was listed under that name in John Gerard's The Herbal in 1633. The tree was commonly called the pudding-pipe.

Plant of the Week 06/26/2006

Golden Shower Tree (Cassia fistula)
Plant of the Week 06/26/2006

The tree has been used medicinally since Egyptian times. The name pudding-pipe refers to the seed pods which contain a soft pulp. The fresh pods were used for their purging or laxative effect.

In Iranian herbal medicine, external applications of Cassia fistula are used to treat Leishmaniasis, a protozoan parasitic disease spread by the bites of sandflies. Cutaneous Leishmaniasis causes horrific skin ulcers which take months to heal. In a study published in 1999, doctors found that treating these ulcers with extracts of Cassia did aid the healing (Pajouhandeh, 1999).

In The Herbal, Gerard recommended, "The pulp of Cassia fistula extracted with violet water is a most sweet and pleasant medicine, and may be given without danger to all weak people of what age or sex soever...for it gently purgeth...is good for such as be vexed with hot agues (shivering and fever), pleurisies (inflammation of the lining of the chest cavity), jaundice, or any other inflammation of the liver."

The Cassia was believed to rid kidney stones, "...good for the reines (region of the abdomen believed the seat of emotions and passions) and kidneys, driveth forth gravel and the stone,...it abateth also the intemperate heat of the reines, if it be received with diuretick simples...." It would appear, even today, that a combination of a laxative and diuretic would tend to abate an "intemperate heat of the reines".

The Botany Department of the University of Hawaii-Manoa has a beautiful photograph of the inflorescence of Cassia fistula. To view the photograph, click here.

The Center for Disease Control has a general information article about Leishmaniasis for travelers to the tropics. To learn more about this disease, click on the link:

http://www2.ncid.cdc.gov/travel/yb/utils/ybGet.asp?section=dis&obj=leishmaniasis.htm

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Batik is a fabric art in which the cloth is stretched on a wooden frame and the design sketched with a pencil. Then a mixture of melted wax and resin (70%/30%) is painted onto areas where color is not desired and the fabric is dipped in a solution of reactive dye, water, salt, and sodium bicarbonate.

When the fabric is crumpled into the dying solution, the wax cracks, creating an attractive network of fine lines. The wax is removed and process is repeated for each color utilized. Finally, the cloth is washed and rinsed to remove any excess dye. This pair will feature the same design, but the colors may vary slightly to those pictured, making each a unique work of art. Cushions not included.

Although true Talavera is produced only in the city of Puebla, the Talavera-style ceramics crafted in Dolores Hidalgo are recognized the world over. Because each piece is individually crafted, each is absolutely unique. The motifs could differ slightly from those pictured.

Lyrical inspiration exudes from her person and her four hands are destined to bear gifts to her devotees. She holds a "rebab" (a musical instrument symbolizing art), a "lontar," or palm book, (a symbol of knowledge), a "genetri," or bell, (portraying everlasting science) and a lotus water lily (the symbol of loveliness and purity.) Twice a year the Balinese pay special homage to Saraswati and her image is a common sight in their households. This piece, with its fine detail and superb craftsmanship, is seeped in cultural heritage and breathtaking in beauty.

To complete this piece, coiled bamboo basketry is firstly carved on a lathe into the desired shape. A mixture of lacquer - obtained from the Gluta usitata tree - and ashes of burnt rice paddy husks is then applied to the object. Upon exposure to air the mixture dries to form a watertight seal that is polished before another coat is applied. This process is repeated until a rigid base is formed, and a final polishing is executed with sandpaper. Then several coats of pure lacquer are painted on the object, with drying periods in between each coat.

The work is partially polished with sandpaper according to a predetermined pattern - generally concentric - and a few coats of different lacquer colors are applied to the surface and the object is left to dry for a few days. The process remains identical for each ensuing color, alternating lacquering and polishing sessions until the design is achieved. The final coat is washed with water and polished with powdered fired clay, offering an irresistible sheen.