(Giant Fishtail Palm)

Named for the unusual shape of its leaf segments, this towering, single-trunked palm from upland rain forests of Southeast Asia is one of the largest and most spectacular plants for tropical gardens. A monocarpic palm, it dies after it flowers and fruits.

Borne on massive leaf stems ("petioles"), the enormous, upright or inclined, evergreen fronds can be as long as a small bus. Each frond comprises numerous broad, somewhat triangular, bright green leaflets, borne in two ranks along a midrib...

(Fishtail Wine Palm, Solitary Fishtail Palm, Toddy Palm)

Named for the unusual shape of its leaf segments, this large, single-trunked palm from India and Southeast Asia is one of the most spectacular foliage plants for tropical gardens. A monocarpic palm, it dies after it flowers and fruits.

Borne on massive leaf stems ("petioles"), the enormous, arching, evergreen fronds are arranged spirally on the upper reaches of the stout trunk. Each frond comprises numerous long, triangular, bright green leaflets, borne in two ranks along a midrib (or "rachis")....

(White Sapote)

The tasty tropical fruit, white sapote, is a relatively obscure but close cousin of citrus. In addition to its fine fruit, it has a pretty form and multicolored bark. Native to the middle highland elevations of southern Mexico and Central America, this broadly branched tree is usually evergreen but frost and drought can cause leaf drop, so it is better listed as semi-evergreen. When mature, it attains a somewhat weeping form and curvaceous trunk and branches. Its bark is warty, thick and gray with...

(Autumn Golden Shower, Dwarf Golden Shower, Kenyan Shower)

Lemon-yellow flowers in floppy, upright clusters grace the branches of the Kenyan shower during the warmest months of the year. An evergreen tree native to eastern Africa, this species is smaller and more cold-tolerant than the golden shower (Cassia fistula). Kenyan shower is an exceptional choice for gardens with more limited space where winter frosts are more likely.

The long compound leaves are deep green and comprise 12 to 20 leaflets with a satiny sheen. Individual leaflets are...

(Brewster's Cassia, Cigar Cassia, Leichardt-bean)

Feathery green leaves, pendent clusters of yellow and reddish flowers, and long cigar-like seed pods are the chief ornamental qualities of cigar cassia. This plant may be quite variable in form, either growing as a medium to large shrub or becoming an upright tree with a billowy, rounded canopy. Cigar cassia is native to the hills across northeastern Australia, where it usually is evergreen, but chilly winter weather can cause leaf drop.

The compound leaves comprise numerous long oval leaflets...

(Golden Shower, Indian Laburnum)

Spectacular in flower, the golden shower tree sheds most of its leaves to highlight the many pendent yellow strings of flowers in spring and summer. Native to southern Asia, it is a semi-deciduous tropical tree that is somewhat slow-growing, attaining an open but broad canopy.

The short trunk has pale smooth to platy bark, while the leaves are bright green and pinnate, having many small leaflets arranged on a petiole leaf stem. The leaves emerge slightly downy and silver in color before greening...

(Appleblossom Cassia, Javanese Cassia, Pink and White Shower Tree)

With a spreading, irregular, tiered habit, the appleblossom cassia is covered with variably pink flowers in the warmest months of the tropical dry season. This Indonesian tree is very briefly deciduous just prior to or during the flowering display in springtime. The trunk's bark is smooth and gray, but occasional spines or woody spurs line the trunk or lower parts of branches.

Newly emerging leaves are downy, but turn matte green with age. Each leaf is compound, comprising 5 to nearly 30 oval...

(Gold Medallion Tree)

Brilliantly attractive in form and when its cheerful yellow flower clusters appear in the summer, gold medallion tree is one of the most magnificent small tropical trees. An evergreen small tree from southeastern Brazil, its spreading but elegantly rounded canopy is lined with medium to deep green leaves that have eight to twelve pairs of small oval leaflets. Large clusters of sunny yellow flowers appear most heavily in the summertime, continuing for many weeks. The blossoms occur on semi-weeping...

(Silver Cassia)

Silvery blue-green foliage and yellow buttercup-shaped flowers that appear in late winter are best ornamental features of the silver cassia. This fast-growing evergreen shrub is native to arid central Australia. It is exceptionally tolerant of dry soil, heat, frosts and hot sunlight. It looks like an acacia, but the five-petaled flowers reveal its inclusion in the genus Cassia. Silver cassia attains a wispy-looking rounded to upright, v-shaped habit.

To conserve moisture in its hot,...

(Queensland Cassia, Yellow Shower)

Showy pendent clusters of yellow flowers flop from the leafy branch tips of the Queensland cassia and later yield long, ribbed seed pods. Native to northeastern Queensland, Australia, it is found in both tropical rainforests and sunny woodland edges. It develops an open canopy of branches and foliage but maintains a spreading, coarsely rounded habit. Snap a twig and it smells of bacon.

The compound leaves comprise 10 to 16 elongated oval leaflets. They are medium bright green and leathery....