Family: Fabaceae
Golden shower tree is a single-trunked tree with a spreading crown. Pinnately compound leaves cover the evenly spaced branches. A semi-deciduous tree, C. fistula, briefly loses it leaves, but they are quickly replaced with new growth. Bright yellow flowers saturate the canopy in the Summer, hence the common name golden shower tree. Following flowering grows 2-foot long seed pods. Unfortunately, the seeds are toxic to ingest.
According to the Maui County Planting Plan, golden shower tree roots may be intrusivTherefore, use caution when planting near sidewalks, homes, water drains, etc.
Plant Uses:
- Container plant
- Medicinal
- Nitrogen fixer
- Ornamental
- Privacy / screening
- Specimen
Plant Dangers:
- Toxic to animals and humans
High Risk Traits:
- Prolific seed production, with seeds contained in long, durable pods
- Hard seed coat, allowing seeds to remain viable for long periods
- Primarily seed-dispersed, including dispersal by gravity, water, and human movement of pods
- Widely cultivated ornamental, increasing propagule pressure
- Naturalized in parts of the tropics and subtropics outside its native range
- Tolerant of a range of soil types and seasonal drought once established
- Fast juvenile growth, allowing quick establishment in favorable conditions
Low Risk Traits:
- No thorns, spines, or burrs, reducing risks to people and animals
- Not known to form dense monocultures that completely exclude native vegetation
- Limited evidence of major ecological impacts in Hawaiʻi to date
- Requires warm climates, limiting spread into cooler or high-elevation areas
- Generally dependent on human planting for long-distance dispersal
- Not aggressive in intact native forests, typically confined to disturbed or landscaped areas
