Cassia Bakeriana Craib, Kew Bull.: 45 (1911)
Species name referring to 'John Gilbert Baker' [1834-1920], a curator at Kew Herbarium from 1866 untill 1899.Synonyms
Cassia bakerana Craib [Spelling variant]
Diagnostics
Shrub to small tree, all parts hairy. Stipules present. Leaves alternate, compound, with 5-7 pairs
of small leaflets with rounded tips. Flowers large, on a 6 cm long stalk, pink-purple, with yellow
stamens, ovary and styles. The stamens are swollen in the middle. The fruits are long up to 40 cm,
elongate pods filled with 30-40 disc like seeds separated by spongy layers.
Description
Tree up to 10 m high; all young parts densely pubescent. Leaves with 5-7 pairs of
leaflets; stipules narrow-lanceolate, pointed towards both ends, attached in the middle;
petiole 2-4 cm long, light brownish pubescent as the 15-40 cm long rachis. Leaflets
oblong to oblanceolate, 6-8 by 1.5-3 cm, rounded at both ends; apex with a small
mucro, both sides more or less densely velvety hairy; petiolule 2 mm. Racemes lateral,
5-12 cm long, 1-few together; main axis yellowish pubescent; bracts lanceolate, apex
long-pointed, hairy on both sides, 7-12 by 3 mm at base; bracteoles similar but only
1/3 the length. Flowers large (the largest flowers of any Cassia in the region), on a 6 cm
long, thinly pubescent pedicel, more densely hairy in a ring just below the calyx. Sepals
ovate-lanceolate with acute apex, 9-12 by 2-3 mm, hairy on both sides. Petals ovate
lanceolate, pinkish, 3.5-4.5 by 1-2.5 cm, claw narrow, c. 5 mm long. Stamens: 3 long
with filaments 3.5-5 cm, swollen in the middle, anthers 5 mm long, ovoid, opening by
apical and basal slits; 4 with filaments half the length but with anthers nearly twice as
long, also opening by slits; reduced stamens 3, small, with filaments 1-1.5 cm long and
very small anthers. Ovary whitish pubescent, recurved, c. 4 cm long, on a 1-1.5 cm
long stipe; stigma subapical, punctifomi. Pods pendulous, terete, grey to brownish velvety
pubescent, 30-40 by 1-1.5 cm diam. Seeds 30-40, separated by spongy septa. [from Flora Malesiana]
Ecology
Occurring from (200-)500-1500 m altitude, originally in seasonal forests.
Uses
Ornamental tree.
Distribution
Endemic to Burma and Thailand. Introduced as ornamental in e.g.
West Malaysia and New Guinea, also elsewhere, but evidently not common.
Local names
