Ratchaphruek is the chosen National Flower of Thailand because it is the color of Monday when the King of Thailand was born. It is also seen anywhere in Thailand, and with a shining yellow showing great importance.

• Botanical Name: Cassia fistula

• Common Name

  • English: Casse, Cassie, Golden Raintree, Golden Shower

  • Thai: Ratchaphruek

  • Malayalam: Konnamaram

… tree bears beautiful yellow cluster-shaped flowers. The Thai people regard its yellow hue as the colour of Buddhism and the colour of glory. Ratchaphruek blooms annually from February to May and symbolises the unity and harmony of the Thai people. While the flowers are blossoming, the tree sheds its leaves, leaving only bright yellow flowers hanging on its branches. The Ratchaphruek is widely known in Thailand and is grown in abundance along the roadsides.

—The ASEAN Secretariat

Cover image: 〈Konnamaram〉 by Suniltg, licensed under CC-BY-SA-3.0.

This article was first published on Asean Citizens on 2007-10-30 @697.72 (00:44:43 UTC+8).

〈Thailand National Flower: Cassia fistula〉 © 2007 Yohan Yukiya Sese Cuneta.
License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC-BY-SA-4.0), except where noted.