This graceful Caribbean shrub or small tree is Desert Cassia, Senna polyphylla var. polyphylla. It belongs to the legume family, Fabaceae, and is native from parts of Mexico and Honduras through the Caribbean to Venezuela and eastern Brazil. Kew recognizes it as one of three accepted varieties of Senna polyphylla.

Despite the name “Desert Cassia,” Kew describes the variety as occurring primarily in the wet tropical biome. However, it is also well adapted to the warm, sunny and seasonally dry conditions found in many Caribbean landscapes.

The plant usually develops a light, open crown with many slender branches. Its leaves are compound and divided into numerous pairs of very small leaflets. That delicate foliage gives the tree a soft, feathery appearance and is reflected in the name polyphylla, meaning “many-leaved.”

The leaflets may fold together at night or during periods of stress. This movement helps reduce water loss and is common among many members of the legume family.

The flowers are bright yellow and usually have five rounded petals. They appear singly or in small clusters among the foliage, creating a vivid contrast with the fine green leaves.

Although the flowers may appear almost symmetrical at first glance, the stamens are unequal in size and shape. This slightly irregular arrangement is characteristic of many plants in the genus Senna.

Bees are the principal pollinators. The flowers generally do not offer nectar; instead, certain bees vibrate the anthers to shake out the pollen. This behavior is known as buzz pollination.

After flowering, the plant produces narrow, flattened seed pods. These begin green and turn brown as they mature. When dry, they split open and release several hard seeds.

Desert Cassia is valued as an ornamental because it flowers generously, remains relatively small and fits easily into dry or compact tropical gardens. Its blossoms also provide pollen for bees and other visiting insects.

This is a plant whose beauty comes from contrast: delicate, almost fern-like foliage combined with bold golden flowers.

When it is in full bloom, the yellow blossoms appear to float among the fine leaves, making a modest shrub or small tree one of the brightest features in the landscape.