Cassia javanica
(pink shower)

Preferred Common Name

• pink shower

Other Scientific Names

• Cassia agnes (de Wit) Brenan
• Cassia bacillus Gaertn.
• Cassia bacillus Roxb.
• Cassia bartonii F. M. Bailey
• Cassia fistula “sensu Blanco, non Merr."
• Cassia javanica subsp. bartonii F.M.Bailey
• Cassia javanica subsp. pubiflora (Merr.) K.Larsen
• Cassia javanica subsp. renigera (Wall. ex Benth.) K. Larsen
• Cassia megalantha Decne.
• Cassia nodosa Buch.-Ham. ex Roxb.
• Cassia renigera Wall. ex Benth.
• Cathartocarpus javanicus Pers.

International Common Names

• English: apple blossom; apple blossom shower; Burmese-senna; Javanese cassia; pink cassia; rainbow shower
• Spanish: acacia rosada; cassia rosada; lluvia de rosas
• Chinese: zhao wa jue ming

Local Common Names

• Cambodia: bo pruk; bôprùk
• India: apple blossom cassia; Java cassia; Java rani; nodding cassia
• Indonesia: bobondelan; boking-boking; trengguli
• Indonesia/Java: trengguli
• Indonesia/Sumatra: bobondelan; boking-boking
• Laos: khoun loy
• Lesser Antilles: stinking toe
• Malaysia: bebusok; busok-busok
• Philippines: antsoan
• Thailand: kalalphruk; kalapaphruk; lak khoei lak kluea
• Uganda: apple-blossom cassia
• USA: Java shower; pink lady
• Vietnam: b(ut)c(aj)b

EPPO code

• CASJA (Cassia javanica)
• CASJN (Cassia javanica subsp. nodosa)

Subspecies

• Cassia javanica subsp. agnes
• Cassia javanica subsp. javanica
• Cassia javanica subsp. nodosa
• Cassia javanica subsp. renigera

Trade name

• johar

• Domain: Eukaryota
•     Kingdom: Plantae
•         Phylum: Spermatophyta
•             Subphylum: Angiospermae
•                 Class: Dicotyledonae
•                     Order: Fabales
•                         Family: Fabaceae
•                             Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae
•                                 Genus: Cassia
•                                     Species: Cassia javanica

Fabaceae is one of the largest families of flowering plants. This family includes about 745 genera and 19,500 species which can be found throughout the world growing in a great variety of climates and environments (Stevens, 2012). The genus Cassia is included in the subfamily Caesalpinioideae. This genus contains about 300 species occurring in all continents. Cassia species show a great diversity in habit, ranging from annual herbs to perennial trees. The species Cassia javanica is very polymorphic with a wide distribution across Asia. Irwin and Barneby (1982) consider C. javanica as a complex series of geographical varieties that are found across their areas of natural distribution. Within its natural distribution range, C. javanica forms vary in the shape of their leaves, the colour and size of their flowers, and their chromosomal number. Currently, seven subspecies of C. javanica are recognized (Flora of China, 2014; USDA-ARS, 2014):

1.    Cassia javanica subsp. agnes: India, Laos, Thailand
2.    Cassia javanica subsp. bartonii: New Guinea
3.    Cassia javanica subsp. javanica: From Indonesia to the Philippines
4.    Cassia javanica subsp. microcalyx: Indonesia including Kalimantan and Sumatra
5.    Cassia javanica subsp. nodosa: From Myanmar to Malaysia
6.    Cassia javanica subsp. pubiflora: Philippines
7.    Cassia javanica subsp. renigera: Myanmar.

Deciduous tree, usually more than 10 m tall, sometimes to 30 m. Leaves 15-40 cm; leaflets 5-12 pairs, 2-8 × 1.2-3.3 cm, both surfaces pilose or abaxially pilose, adaxially sparsely puberulent, base slightly asymmetric, apex acute, obtuse, or shortly acuminate. Inflorescence a raceme or panicle, terminal on leafy shoots or lateral on short side branches, up to 16 cm long, many-flowered; flowers with sepals 4-10 mm long, green to dark red, petals 15-35 mm long, whitish to reddish or buff, stamens 10, 3 longer ones with filaments 2 cm long, 4 shorter with filaments about 1 cm long and 3 reduced with filaments about 1 cm long and minute anthers. Fruit a pendent, terete legume, 20-60 cm long, 1-1.5(-2.5) cm in diameter, indehiscent. Seeds numerous, embedded in a flat disk, 6.5-8.9 mm long, 5.6-7.0 mm wide, and 2.5-5.5 mm thick (Orwa et al., 2009; Flora of China, 2014). 

C. javanica has been commercialized worldwide. It is widely cultivated as an ornamental in India and Africa, where it has become naturalized. In Mexico it was first recorded in the wild in 1976 (Sanchez-Blanco et al., 2012). In the West Indies, it was collected in 1906 in Barbados, 1909 in Trinidad and Tobago, 1923 in Puerto Rico, 1930 in St Thomas, 1959 in Cuba and the Dominican Republic and in 1967 in Bermuda (New York Botanical Garden Herbarium records). 

Soil drainage

• free

Soil reaction

• acid
• alkaline
• neutral

Soil texture

• heavy
• light
• medium

C. javanica spreads by seed. Each reproductive tree may produce numerous seeds. The germination rate varies from 50% to 80% under optimized conditions (Niembro, 2002; Orwa et al., 2009). 

C. javanica is considered an invasive woody plant in Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua (Kairo et al., 2003; Villaseñor and Garcia-Espinosa, 2004; FAO, 2014). It has the potential to invade both disturbed and natural undisturbed areas in lowland tropical forests where it can displace and outcompete native vegetation. Because it is a shade tolerant species, it also has the potential to invaded mature undisturbed forests (Orwa et al., 2009). 

• Proved invasive outside its native range
• Has a broad native range
• Abundant in its native range
• Highly adaptable to different environments
• Is a habitat generalist
• Tolerates, or benefits from, cultivation, browsing pressure, mutilation, fire etc
• Pioneering in disturbed areas
• Tolerant of shade
• Benefits from human association (i.e. it is a human commensal)
• Long lived
• Fast growing
• Has high reproductive potential
• Has propagules that can remain viable for more than one year

• Altered trophic level
• Damaged ecosystem services
• Ecosystem change/ habitat alteration
• Modification of nutrient regime
• Modification of successional patterns
• Reduced native biodiversity
• Threat to/ loss of native species

• Allelopathic
• Competition - monopolizing resources
• Rapid growth

• Highly likely to be transported internationally deliberately

C. javanica is widely cultivated as a shade and ornamental tree along streets and in parks and gardens. It is also planted as shade trees in agroforestry systems and plantations (PROTA, 2014). The wood is used for general construction, furniture and cabinet making. It yields a lightweight to heavy hardwood with a density of 400-875 kg/m³ at 15% moisture content. The wood is hard and strong. It works well and finishes well. The bark is used for tanning leather, but the amount of tannin is comparatively low (Orwa et al., 2009). C. javanica is also used in traditional medicine. The ripe pods and seeds are used as a traditional laxative throughout the Malesian area. In Thailand, bark and seeds are also used as antipyretics (Toruan-Purba, 1999; Orwa et al., 2009).