Blooming Now: Golden Shower Tree
June 11, 2019
If you’ve driven through a Fort Myers neighborhood recently, you’ve probably spotted trees with bright yellow flowers. This time of year, it could be the golden shower tree, Cassia fistula, or the yellow flame tree, Peltophorum dubium that you’ve seen. In this post, we’re going to focus on the golden shower tree and will talk about the yellow flame tree in next week’s post.
The golden shower tree is probably native to tropical Asia, but its exact origins are uncertain. The flower is the national flower of Thailand. Like a lot of cassias, the golden shower tree can grow quickly and will usually reach about 40 ft in height. It is somewhat drought tolerant but will drop its leaves at least once a year, particularly when it is blooming in spring and early summer. It prefers full sun. After blooming, the tree produces long seed pods that contain a seed toxic to most mammals.
If you’d like to see a tree up close, stop by the Edison Ford property and park in our small lot off Larchmont Ave close to McGregor Blvd. You’ll see a fairly young golden shower tree just past the royal poinciana that was featured in this post. Our Garden Shoppe sells many kinds of flowering trees, including the golden shower tree, so stop by our outdoor store any day from 9 am to 5 pm to check out our inventory.
For more information on how to care for the golden shower tree in southwest Florida, click here.
