Red cassia is native to Sri Lanka and southern India, and dispersed to many tropical countries. The tree has a light crown. When in flowering season, it is covered by a mass of small red flowers. In Kampala, this tree can be found wihin Makerere university among other places.

Red cassia is a graceful tree with spreading, drooping branches appearing to be over-weighted. It's a spherical tree, 5-10 m tall, with slender downward curving branches.

BARK:

LEAVES:13-35 cm long, leaflets 8-20 pairs, oblong, ovate-elliptical, unequal sided, 1.5-4.5 cm long, 1-2 cm wide.

FLOWERS: single clusters in the axils of leaves, terracotta red with fine green veins, deeper in tone on the under surfaces, pedunculate axillary raceme, peduncle 1-2 cm long, axis 5-9 cm long. Pedicel 1.5-2.5 cm long. Calyx hairy, sepals ovate, 4-7 mm long. Petals 10-15 mm long, oblong-obovate, hairy externally. Stamens 10, 4 long, 3 medium sized and 3 small, not swollen in the middle. The older blooms are very bright pink.

FRUIT: pod 20-30 cm long, c. 2 cm broad, cylindrical, glabrous.

An ornamental tree.

The wood is also used for making naves of wheels and handles of tools.