Kassod Tree
Common Name
:
Kassod Tree
Chinese Name
:
鐵刀木
Scientific Name
:
Senna siamea
Classification
:
Evergreen
Origin
:
India, Myanmar, Thailand, and Yunnan, Mainland China
Flowering Period
:
October to November in Hong Kong
About
Although the heartwood of Kassod Tree is dark brown, the “black heart” in its Chinese name, Black-heart Tree, does not refer to its colour. According to legend, a wicked and heinous regional government official once ruled ancient Yunnan. After his death, his spirit repented and transformed into a black-hearted tree, letting villagers chop it down for firewood. That black-hearted tree is Kassod Tree, and the "black heart" symbolises the official's evil heart.
Source: Greening, Landscape & Tree Management Section Development Bureau (greening.gov.hk)