Cassia marksiana is an Australian rainforest

Rainforest

Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...

 tree growing in far north eastern New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

 and in south eastern Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

. The common name is Marks Cassia, named in honour of Dr.C.F. Marks, an early botanical collector. Other common names include Cigar Cassia, Brush Cassia and Native Laburnum. The Brunswick River is considered the southern most point of natural distribution.

The habitat is seaside and lowland sub-tropical rainforest; almost completely destroyed with only small remnant patches remaining. Less than 100 trees are known to exist in the wild in some 20 locations. Consequently, it is listed as endangered by extinction.

Description

A small to medium sized tree, up to 25 metres tall and a stem diameter of 50 cm. The trunk is not buttressed, with grey-brown wrinkled bark. Compound leaves are alternate on the stem, with four to sixteen leaflets, 2.5 to 7.5 cm long, usually opposite the leaf stem. Leaflets vary in shape, mostly lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate and broader. Leaf veins easily noticed.

Showy and attractive yellow flowers form on raceme

Raceme

A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...

s from September to November. A long thin pod matures from June to October, 30 cm long and 2 cm in diameter.