Senna alata/Candlestick Tree

Tall candle-like flowers in mid summer
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Tall candle-like flowers in mid summer	Large plant in summer bloom	Close-up image of flowers and foliage
Flower spikes tower over the foliage


Scientific Name:	Senna alata
Common Name:	Candlestick Tree
Plant Type:	Evergreen
Leaf Type:	Broadleaf
Hardiness Zone:	9, 10, 11 Determine Your Zone
Height:	5-8 feet
Spread:	5 - 10 feet
Bloom time:	Summer, Fall
Flower color:	Yellow
Fruit present:	Fall, Winter
Fruit color:	Brown
Light Exposure:	Sun
Drainage:	Well drained, Moist,
Rate of Growth:	Fast
Water Requirement:	Medium
Maintenance Level:	Low
Susceptible to insects and diseases:	No

Comments:	Although this is a subtropical plant it can become quite shaggy and unattractive after blooming and needs considerable grooming and pruning to keep it as an acceptable flowering plant in areas where freezes do not kill it. The candlestick plant is best treated as an annual and new plants set each year. The bright yellow six to eight inch flower stalks that appear in summer above the foliage are the main attraction to this very large growing woody plant. Brown pea pods persist for a long time. A relatively small nursery plant in a gallon container can attain a height of six to eight feet by late autumn.