Native to East Africa, Cassia afrofistula is a small tree. In cultivation it forms an evergreen to semi-deciduous ornamental about 15–20 ft tall with a rounded crown that tolerates wind and salt spray, but it is cold-sensitive below ~25 °F. This species carries its inflorescences as upright, branched spikes that rise above the foliage and flower for roughly six to seven weeks in late spring through summer, often followed by a brief leaf-drop and fast re-leafing. Each flower is about ½–¾ in across with five bright yellow petals and a tight cluster of stamens; after bloom, the tree sets long, cylindrical pods roughly 8–24 in that mature black and persist on the branches, a distinctive feature that inspired the epithet “African pipe”. Photographed in Florida.