Candle Bush flowers resemble candles and are suited to warm regions for ornamental planting
Candle Bush (Senna alata) is an evergreen shrub in the genus Senna of the legume family Fabaceae, also known as Winged Cassia and Candle Flower. It is native to tropical America and is currently cultivated widely in warm-climate areas such as South China and Southwest China. Its pods have a membranous wing along the edge, which is where the name Winged Cassia comes from.
This plant has spreading branches and leaves, with pinnately compound leaves and opposite leaflets, giving it a full, rounded overall form. Its most distinctive feature is its inflorescence: dense clusters of bright yellow small flowers form upright racemes that stand on the branch tips like candles, which is how it got the alternate name Candle Flower. The long, strip-shaped pods produced after flowering have wings on both sides and are very striking to observe.
Candle Bush prefers a warm, humid environment with plenty of sunlight. It tolerates heat but not cold, and is prone to frost damage when exposed to low temperatures in winter. In northern regions it is mostly grown as a potted plant and moved indoors for care when the weather turns cold. It is not demanding about soil, with loose, fertile, well-drained soil being ideal, and it only needs a uniform water supply during the growing season. Propagation is mainly by sowing, though cuttings can also be used. Proper pruning after flowering helps keep the plant tidy and encourages the next bloom.
From an application standpoint, Candle Bush has a long flowering period, and when in full bloom its yellow inflorescences stand upright in strings, making it suitable for flower beds and courtyards, and it can also be planted in groups along lawn edges. In folk tradition, its leaves are often used externally for skin problems, but a professional should be consulted before actual use. It is in the same genus as Senna surattensis, with similar flower color, but Candle Bush has upright, candle-like inflorescences and winged pods, so it is not difficult to tell them apart on close observation.
