ful and ornamental. It should be pruned 
back hard after flowering, as the long 
limbs are brittle. 
CASSIA SIEBERIANA 
*SIEBER’S SHOWER (Cassia sieberi- 
ana). This highly ornamental small tree 
to 35 feet from Tropical Africa, bears 
abundant dense hanging racemes of pale 
yellow flowers, each 2 inches across, often 
the more conspicuous because the tree is 
nearly leafless when flowering in March 
and April. “Deserves to be more widely 
cultivated,” wrote Eggeling. “The large 
yellow flowers are very beautiful and the 
tree is of great decorative value,” wrote 
Irvine. Dr. Fairchild found this tree 30 
years ago in the mountains of French 
Guinea in Africa. In “Exploring for 
Plants” he wrote: “Here and there on the 
hillsides appeared low bushy trees, leaf- 
less but adorned with hanging clusters of 
yellow flowers like those which weigh 
down the branches of the golden shower 
tree in Florida or the laburnum in Eng- 
land. The foliage is dark green.” The 
soil where Dr. Fairchild found the tree 
was bone dry, laterite soil, “so hard and 
so sharp it seemed as though it must tear 
our shoes to pieces.” Distinguishing fea- 
iures of the tree are leaves often purplish 
when young, leaflets whose edges curl un- 
der, and a 2-foot twisted seed pod that 
does not open. 
*KENYA SHOWERS (C. abbreviata 
and C. singueana). These two newcom- 
ers are small yellow-flowered trees. C. 
abbreviata from the coast bears golden 
blossoms that smell strongly of sweet peas; 
the cylindrical seed pods are 2 feet long. 
Jex-Blake says C. singueana is “less com- 
mon and more beautiful” (than C. multi- 
juga) with large pale yellow flowers. It 
is native of dry savanna areas. Eggeling 
illustrates it in color and says C. singue- 
ana is a synonym for C. goratensis which 
blooms beautifully in my yard in Stuart 
from January to March but never sets 
seed. 
URUGUAY FIDDLEWOOD (Cithar- 
exylum montevidense). All the fiddle- 
wood trees are attractive small ornamental 
trees with small white flowers. This one 
should be hardy throughout Florida. 
FISH POISONER (Cleistanthus col- 
linus). Small deciduous Indian tree of 
the Euphorbia family with inconspicuous 
flowers. Brandis says the outer crust of 
the seed capsule is poisonous and is used 
to kill fish. 
MOZAMBIQUE COFFEE (Coffea 
racemosa). ‘This bushy little tree from 4 
to 10 feet, has a conical habit and leaves 
about 3 inches long. The Department of 
Agriculture, Inhambane, wrote me: “Very 
ornamental. Covered once a year with 
fragrant white flowers. Good for gardens, 
borders and hedges. Flowers fast in deep 
sandy soils.” 
CASSIA NODOSA 
zig Oe 
