Senna alataCandle Bush

The flowers of the Senna alata stand straight up out of the bush like lit candles, each spike a column of bright yellow with the unopened buds still sheathed in orange bracts above them. Candle Bush is a fast, short-lived tropical American shrub with large pinnate leaves that fold shut at nightfall.

Because it reaches flowering size within a year, it is used to put quick colour and screening into new planting while slower shrubs establish behind it.

Specifications

• Height2 to 4 metres, reaching 5 metres in the wet tropics
• Width2 to 3 metres
• Native toTropical America, from Mexico through Central and South America
• FoliageLarge pinnate leaves with paired oblong leaflets that fold shut at night; evergreen in frost-free conditions
• Growth rateFast

Conditions

• SoilPrefers free-draining soils and tolerates poor and periodically wet ground
• LightFull sun
• WaterModerate; regular through the warm months
• ClimateThrives in tropical and humid subtropical regions

Additional Features

• FlowersUpright candle-like spikes of bright yellow flowers with orange-sheathed buds, mainly autumn and winter
• UsesIdeal for fast informal screening, boundary and rehabilitation planting, and seasonal colour in large borders
• SpacingPlant 2 to 3 metres apart for a screen
• Low MaintenancePrune hard after flowering; the plant is short-lived and will need replacing after five to ten years
• Pest ResistanceGenerally sound, with caterpillar damage the usual concern
• Wildlife AttractionThe flowers are heavily worked by bees and butterflies
• Seasonal AppealFlowers when the days shorten, giving colour late in the year

Candle Bush buys a new scheme two or three seasons of colour and cover while the permanent planting catches up.