#  >  > Living And Legal Affairs In Thailand >  >  > Farming & Gardening In Thailand >  >  Flame trees

## dirtydog

Now I have 3 flowering trees, a red flame tree, a yellow flame tree, and a weed that I always thought was a tree that has white flowers, now the weed has flowers all year round, the flame trees once per year if memory serves me correct, now my yellow flame tree started flowering around 10 days ago.

Quite nice flowers although as I had been to the orchid nursery today they look a bit bland,



So, the yellow tree has been covered in flowers as flame trees do, but the red one has no flowers at all, I really didn't give it much thought until I noticed every where only the yellow flame trees had flowers, this is in Pattaya and Jomtien, I was always under the impression they were of the same genre and family, have to admit I have never taken any notice of the leaf shapes or to see if there is any difference in the leaves, are they different beasts so to speak?

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## MeMock

Kids out driving Saturday afternoon pass me by
I'm just savouring familiar sights
We share some history, this town and I
And I can't stop that long forgotten feeling of her
Try to book a room to stay tonight

Number one is to find some friends to say "You're doing well
After all this time you boys look just the same"
Number two is the happy hour at one of two hotels
Settle in to play "Do you remember so and so?"
Number three is never say her name

Oh the flame trees will blind the weary driver
And there's nothing else could set fire to this town
There's no change, there's no pace
Everything within its place
Just makes it harder to believe that she won't be around

But Ah! Who needs that sentimental bullshit, anyway
Takes more than just a memory to make me cry
I'm happy just to sit here round a table with old friends
And see which one of us can tell the biggest lies

There's a girl falling in love near where the pianola stands
With her young local factory out-of-worker, holding hands
And I'm wondering if he'll go or if he'll stay

Do you remember, nothing stopped us on the field
In our day

Oh the flame trees will blind the weary driver
And there's nothing else could set fire to this town
There's no change, there's no pace
Everything within its place
Just makes it harder to believe that she won't be around

Oh the flame trees will blind the weary driver
And there's nothing else could set fire to this town
There's no change, there's no pace
Everything within its place
Just makes it harder to believe that she won't be around

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## jandajoy

Cold Chisel - Lyrics

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## Gipsy

> I have never taken any notice of the leaf shapes or to see if there is any difference in the leaves, are they different beasts so to speak?


See, that's what happens; the confusion that occurs when using common names...  :Smile: 

Flame tree? No, not a flame tree. A flame tree is called Delonix regia (ask Happyman). This one is called *Cassia fistula*, the 'golden shower tree, *Thailand's national flower*.

*From Wikipedia:*

The Golden Shower Tree is a flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to southern Asia, from southern Pakistan east through India to Myanmar and south to Sri Lanka. It is the national tree of Thailand.

*Growth*
The Golden Shower Tree is a medium-sized tree growing to 1020 m (3366 ft) tall with fast growth. The leaves are deciduous, 1560 cm (624 in) long, pinnate with 38 pairs of leaflets, each leaflet 721 cm (38 inches) long and 49 cm (1.53.5 in) broad. The flowers are produced in pendulous racemes 2040 cm (815 in) long, each flower 47 cm diameter with five yellow petals of equal size and shape. The fruit is a legume, 3060 cm (1223 in) long and 1.52.5 cm (0.51 in) broad, with a pungent odor and containing several seeds. The seeds are poisonous.

*Cultivation and uses*
Cassia fistula is widely grown as an ornamental plant in tropical and subtropical areas. It blooms in late spring. Flowering is profuse, with trees being covered with yellow flora, with almost no leaf being seen. It does not grow well in dry climates. Growth for this tree is best in full sun on well-drained soil; it is drought- and salt- tolerant, but will be damaged by even short spells of freezing weather. It can be subject to mildew, leaf spot and root diseases.

In Ayurvedic medicine, Golden Shower Tree is known as aragvadha ("disease killer"). Its fruitpulp is used as mild laxative, against fevers, arthritis, vatavyadhi (nervous system diseases), all kinds of rakta-pitta (bleeding, such as hematemesis or hemorrhages), as well as cardiac conditions and stomach problems such as acid reflux. The root is considered a very strong purgative, and self-medication or any use without medical supervision is strongly advised against in Ayurvedic texts.
Though its use in herbalism is attested to since millennia, there has been rather little research in modern times. While the purgative action is probably due to abundant 1,8-dihydroxyanthraquinone and derivates thereof, whether the reputed nervous system (anti-vatavyadhi) effects are real and if, what causes them, is not known. While many Fabaceae are a source of potent entheogens and other psychoactive compounds, e.g. tryptamines. Such plants are rarely found among the Caesalpinioideae.

The golden shower tree is the national flower of Thailand; its yellow leaves symbolize Thai royalty. A 2006-2007 flower festival, the Royal Flora Ratchaphruek, was named after the tree, which is most often called dok khuen or ratchaphruek in Thailand.

The golden shower tree is the state flower of Kerala in India. The flowers are of ritual importance in the Vishu festival of Kerala state of India, and the tree was depicted on a 20 Indian rupees stamp. C. fistula is also featured on a 2003 joint Canadian-Thai design for a 48 cent stamp, part of a series featuring national emblems.
The tree has strong and very durable wood. There is please called "Ahala Kanuwa" in "Adems peek" "Sri Lanka" and its made by Cassia fistula (Ahala) heart wood.
There is also a rare case of it being used for anal autoeroticism. (Who's gonna start a thread on that?  :Smile: )

*Names*
Being so conspicuous and widely planted, this tree has a number of common names. In English, it is usually known as Golden Shower Tree or Golden Shower Cassia. Other, more ambiguous names include Indian laburnum, "golden shower" or "drumstick tree". It is known in Spanish-speaking countries as caña fistula.

Names from its native range and surrounding regions include:[1]
        Assamese: Xonaru
        Bangla: sonalu, bandar lathi, Amaltas
        Chinese: ā bó lè (阿勃勒: Taiwan), là cháng shù ("sausage tree", 腊肠树)
        Gujarati : Garmalo
        Hindi: bendra lathi (or bandarlauri), dhanbaher (or dhanbohar), girimaloah
        Hindi and Urdu: amaltās 
        Japanese: nanban saikachi (ナンバン サイカチ, Kanji: 南蛮皀莢)
        Khmer: 'reachapreuk' ( rajavriksha)
        Lao: khoun
        Marathi: bahava
        Malayalam: kanikkonna (or kani konna , Kerala), Vishu konna
        Meitei (Manipuri): chahui
        Nepali: amaltash, rajbriksya
        Sanskrit: aragvadha, chaturangula, kritamala, suvarnaka
        Sinhalese: aehaela-gaha (or ahalla-gass), ekela
        Tamil: konrai 
        Telugu:Raela
        *Thai:* rachapruek (ราชพฤกษ์), khun (คูน), dok khuen (ดอกแคน)





The 'real' flame trees:



More info on the Delonix regia | 
Delonix  regia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Delonix regia - Royal poinciana (Fabaceae) - Plants of  Hawaii - Images by Forest & Kim Starr  (lots of details)

There is a yellow form of the normally orange-to-red colored Delonix  regia, but it's rare...



Photo taken from website AOS | Members Only Area
File:Yellow Delonix Regia.jpg - Wikipedia, the free  encyclopedia

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## good2bhappy

is that Butea Monosperma?

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## Gipsy

> is that Butea Monosperma?



Don't know which post you referring to, but no, it's not Butea monosperma, that's orange... or yellow in it's rare form...



Butea monosperma | normal orange form



Butea monosperma | yellow form | Photo by Sanguan Chantalay (I think)
Another picture of a yellow form | File:Yellow butea.JPG - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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## good2bhappy

The flame of the forest

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## Norton

> golden shower tree


Oh dear. :Smile:

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## SunTzu

^ Thai's national flowers  :Yup:

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## dirtydog

I took some pictures of the leaves yesterday, ok they are completely different trees, my yellow one is the common as muck golden shower tree, it looks ok and isn't a problem where it is, although it does create a lot of mess, now I'm not convinced the red one is a flame tree, shall upload the photos of the leaves later on, but think small and roundish and thats what I got.

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## dirtydog

The photos of the flame tree leaves didn't come out any good, so here is the golden shower tree flowers with some leaves.



And a nice close up of the leaves, looks like some insect has been eating them aswell.

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## Boon Mee

> Flame tree? No, not a flame tree. A flame tree is called Delonix regia (ask Happyman). This one is called *Cassia fistula*, the 'golden shower tree, *Thailand's national flower*.
> 
> The 'real' flame trees:


Thanks very much for this post Gipsy. These are indeed beautiful trees. I had several in my neighborhood in California and we called them "Australian Flame Trees". I want to get a couple for the wife's rai. :Smile:

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## TizMe

The one in my mum & dad's backyard in Sydney is Brachychiton acerifolius, commonly known as the Illawarra Flame Tree.

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## Gipsy

> The one in my mum & dad's backyard in Sydney is Brachychiton acerifolius


Wow! Any chance some seeds from that 'Kurrawong' coming to Singapore > Thailand > Chiang Mai > Empty spot in my garden?  :Smile:

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## TizMe

It drops a ton of seeds every year, never tried growing anything from them though. 

Its a bastard near their pool, drops all its leaves and then a few weeks later drops all those red flowers.

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