Native to India, Southeast Asia and Malaysia, the golden shower tree was harvested and/or cultivated in some of the earliest civilizations. The tree, growing to 12 meters (40 feet) in height and often as wide, is now cultivated in tropical areas worldwide. Some grow the golden shower for the sheer beauty of it; others find the tree as practical as the ancients did.

Golden shower is a fast growing tree, but unlike many fast growers, the wood is red, hard, and heavy. The wood made for strong wheels, durable axles, and tough tools; it was (and is) used in cabinetry and fine intricate inlays. The bark is high in tannins; it was an ingredient in the manufacture of leathers.

The golden shower has a couple of other peculiarities. Unlike most legumes, it has few root hairs and does not form a symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria. And for a tree that produces hundreds of seeds, it is not invasive. The seeds are thick coated and must be boiled for a few minutes, soaked in sulfuric acid up to 20 minutes, or scarified and soaked in water for a day before they will germinate.

(Compiled from: "Cassia fistula L.", Aníbal Niembro Rocas, Instituto de Ecología, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico, published on the internet by Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetics Resources; "Cassia fistula: Golden Shower", Edward F. Gilman and Dennis G. Watson, Document ENH286, IFAS Extension, University of Florida, 1993; "Cassia fistula L.", information from James A. Duke, unpublished Handbook of Energy Crops, 1983, Center for New Crops and Plant Products, Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Purdue University.)