Golden Shower

BY KIM ATIENZA

Aside from flowering trees like Fire Tree, Golden Shower is another popular choice to beautify gardens and roads. In fact, we also suggest it to prettify our highways.

Rows of Golden Shower trees are abundant on South Luzon Expressway and also at NLEX. We certainly hope many more of our roads and highways will soon be abloom with more flowering trees.

Summer, which is right around the corner, is when these trees are in bloom.

Golden Shower or Cassia fistula produces a burst of yellow flowers that cascade down from older branches of the tree. It is hardy and moderately tolerant to drought. Like the bougainvillea, it is low maintenance.

This tropical tree can be grown with little effort. When they’re in full bloom, they literally produce showers of yellow flowers.

Golden Shower is the national flower of Thailand. It is reserved for royal use. 

In Kerala, South India, it is considered the state flower.

The tree and its flowers are said to possess medicinal value and are used in traditional medicine in India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Myanmar.

In Kerala state, use of its flowers is considered a sign of good fortune.

Golden Shower trees can grow to become fairly large trees of about 20 feet high.

It is advisable to plant them in areas with space big enough for growing big trees.

TRIVIA PA MORE (Various Sources): Coffee flowers, in dainty whites, are among the most fragrant of flowers, comparable to sampaguita.

Send your questions on anything and everything to Kuya Kim through my Twitter account @kuyakim_atienza using #AlaminKayKuyaKim.