The Color of Cassia

There is no bloom like the eternal bloom of Zimbabwe's cassia tree. The bright yellow seemed to follow me everywhere during my years in Harare, though few locals could actually tell me the name of these gold treasures.

Known throughout Zimbabwe from the northern banks of the Zambezi to the Limpopo River of the south, researching information on this tree can seem confusing...Confusing, that is, until it becomes clear that there are two very distinct types of cassia that grow throughout the country.  The ornamental varieties found in cities and in yards grow into large trees that tower along-side other ornamental beauties.  But the critically endangered native cassia, known as a small tree or bush, normally occurs in Zimbabwe in the bush and Save Lowveld on river-bank sand dunes and islands.  While the habitat of the native cassia is under attack from the over-cultivation of its habitat, it remains an easy plant to identify and thus save if the inhabitants of these areas became educated about its fragility.  It's not hard to spot these showy, flowering plants, which brighten the country with flecks of cheery yellow year round.

A harvest celebration under blossoming cassia trees? What could be better?!