Cassia grandis

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Rosids
Cladus: Eurosids I
Ordo: Fabales

Familia: Fabaceae
Subfamilia: Caesalpinioideae
Tribus: Cassieae
Subtribus: Cassiinae
Genus: Cassia
Species: Cassia grandis
Name

Cassia grandis L.f., 1782 ("1781")
Synonyms

Bactyrilobium grande Hornem.
Bactyrilobium molle Schrad.
Cassia brasiliana Lam.
Cassia brasiliana var. tomentosa Miq.
Cassia brasiliensis Buc'hoz
Cassia mollis Vahl
Cassia pachycarpa De Wit
Cathartocarpus brasilianus Jacq.
Cathartocarpus erubescens Ham.
Cathartocarpus grandis Pers.

Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Continental: Southern America
Regional: Central America
Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panamá
Regional: Western South America
Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru
Regional: Brazil
Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central
Regional: Northern South America
Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela
Regional: Caribbean
Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Southwest Caribbean
Continental: Northern America
Regional: Mexico
Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest
Introduced into:
Bangladesh, Cambodia, East Himalaya, Galápagos, Gambia, India, Ivory Coast, Jawa, Laos, New Guinea, Queensland, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad-Tobago, Uganda, Vietnam, Zaïre

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References
Primary references

Linnaeus, C. (filius) 1782 ["1781"]. Supplementum Plantarum systematis vegetabilium editionis decimae tertiae, generum plantarum editionis sextae, et specierum plantarum editionis secundae. [XVI]+468 pp. Impensis Orphanotrophei, Brunsvigae [Braunschweig]. BHL Reference page. : 230.

Links

Govaerts, R. et al. 2020. Cassia grandis in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2020 Aug 28. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2020. Cassia grandis. Published online. Accessed: Aug 28 2020.
Tropicos.org 2020. Cassia grandis. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published online. Accessed: 28 Aug 2020.
Catalogue of Life: 2021 Annual Checklist
USDA, ARS, Germplasm Resources Information Network. Cassia grandis in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Accessed: 07-Oct-06.

Vernacular names
English: pink shower
Hiri Motu: Hoberska kasija
日本語: モモイロナンバンサイカチ
മലയാളം: പിങ്ക് കൊന്ന
português: Cássia-gigante
ไทย: กาฬพฤกษ์
Tiếng Việt: Ô môi
中文: 大果鐵刀木

Cassia grandis, one of several species called pink shower tree, and known as carao in Spanish, is a flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to the neotropics, that grows up to 30 m (98 ft). The species is distributed from southern México, to Venezuela and Ecuador. It grows in forests and open fields at lower elevations, and is known to be planted as an ornamental. In at least Costa Rica, its pods are stewed into a molasses-like syrup, taken as a sweetener and for its nutritional and medicinal effects, called Jarabe (or Miel) de Carao.
Growth

The tree's leaves are pinnate and deciduous, with 10-20 pairs of leaflets of 3–5 cm (1–2 in). During the dry season, the tree sheds its old leaves, giving way to racemes of pastel pink flowers. The long, wood-like fruit capsules reach lengths of up to 50 cm (20 in) and have many seeds, which are separated by resinous membranes that taste somewhat like carob.
References