Golden shower

A small to medium-sized, open branched, deciduous and hardy tree of slow growth,

reaching a height of 8- 10m. Bark smooth, greenish grey on young trees, turning brown

and rough with age. Leaves large, up to 40 cm long, paripinnate; leaflets 8 -16, opposite,

glabrous when mature, ovate, acute or shortly acuminate, up to 12 cm long and 9 cm

broad; new leaves often of rich copper color with a soft downy undersurface and remain

pendulous and folded until fully falling prematurely; inflorescence long pendulous raceme,

bright yellow in color; corolla 5, large, showy, unequal, ovate; petals clawed; stamens

10, yellow, 3 with long curved filaments.

Fruit a pod, 3- 60 cm long, indehiscent, green when young and black after ripening, with 40 -100 seeds, embedded in a dark-colored sweetish pulp and separated by transverse partitions. It is drought tolerant and therefore, an excellent flowering tree for arid regions, though well-drained soil of moist locality is also suitable for growing this tree. It is suitable along small and medium roads, also for planting in parks and gardens.

The cattle repellant nature of the plant makes it suitable for open planting. The tree is also an important medicinal plant. The pulp of the fruit is used to cure leprosy, heart diseases, and abdominal pain and also used as a common laxative. The wood is hard and mainly used for making handles of tools and agricultural implements.