The empress candlestick (Senna alata (L.) Roxburgh) is a large shrubby legume growing up to four meters (16 feet) in height. When in full bloom, the inflorescences stand in clusters against the sky like brilliant yellow candles. The exact nativity of the candlestick is in question—some references state the plant as a pantropical, others give its homeland as Mexico or Argentina. Linnaeus had a specimen he named Cassia alata in 1753 and gave its origin as "America calidiore", or Latin-speak for "some warm climate in America". (W3TROPICOS, J. Solomon, Missouri Botanical Garden) Certainly, the candlestick was present in India by the late 18th century. William Roxburgh reclassified the plant as Senna alata.
William Roxburgh was born and educated in Scotland. After studying medicine, botany and taxonomy at University of Edinburgh, he joined the service of the East India Company as a surgeon's mate. In 1776, Roxburgh became assistant surgeon at Madras (India) General Hospital. In 1780, he was appointed full surgeon, in 1790, he was awarded an MD, and in 1793, he became the Superintendent of the Calcutta Botanical Garden. ("William Roxburgh", Abhijit Mukherjee, Banglapedia, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh)
Roxburgh took full advantage of his station in India; he set to the task of identifying, cataloging, and giving brief descriptions of the uses of the plants of India. He trained Indians in the art of botanical drawings. He sent economic plants to Africa and numerous specimens and seeds to Sir Joseph Banks at Kew. He made the Calcutta Garden one of the best. He won three gold medals from the Society of Arts for his work.
During a voyage in June 1813, Roxburgh wrote Banks of his "miserable constitution, much worse than when I left Calcutta". (State Library, New South Wales, Australia) He retired from the Garden leaving his final manuscript unpublished and in the care of William Carey. Roxburgh returned to Edinburgh in poor health and died in 1815. Carey published the three volumes of Roxburgh's Flora Indica in 1832; the name Senna alata was credited to Roxburgh 17 years after his death.
