Kondebaal mara – Golden shower tree

Kondebaal mara ( CAESAL PINIOIDEAE) one of the native trees in Kodagu is a medium sized tree which grows up to 20 m tall.Stem bark is pale gray,smooth and slender when young and dark brown and rough when it grows old.  It blooms in late spring. Flowering is profuse, with trees being covered with yellow flowers, many times with almost no leaf being seen. It  grows well in dry climates.

Kodava

Kondebaal mara

English

Indian Laburnum, Golden shower tree

Kannada

Kakke mara

Botanical Name

Cassia fistula L.

Family

CAESAL PINIOIDEAE

Flowering starts

April

Fruiting ends

November

Uses

The reddish wood, hard and heavy, weighing around 800 kg per cubic meter, is strong and durable. Used for cabinetwork, farm implements, inlay work, posts, wheels and mortars. Leaves root, stem and bark contain various chemical compounds which are used in treating diseases like biliousness, constipation, fever, leprosy and skin disease. The fruit is used for treating abdominal pain, constipation, fever, heart disease and leprosy etc.