Amaltas Tree (Cassia fistula): How to Grow and Care for It in Jaipur

Amaltas is one of the most widespread forest trees in India. In the Aravallis it grows wild in scrub forest alongside khair, dhau, ronjh and khejri. ICFRE records that in its natural range the hottest shade temperatures reach 35–47.5 °C and rainfall runs from about 500 mm to more than 3,000 mm. Jaipur averages about 600 mm of rain and has touched 48.5 °C, so the city sits near the hot, dry edge of what the tree is used to, but inside it.

Foresters describe it as "decidedly drought hardy". It grows on poor, shallow soil and on granite and sandstone. ICRAF gives a soil pH range of 5.5 to 8.7, so most of Jaipur's sandy, alkaline ground is fine, as long as water does not stand around the roots.

For Rajasthan there is one big practical advantage. ICFRE notes that Amaltas is "not at all browsed even by goats", and cattle leave it alone too. That is why it survives on grazing land where many other saplings get eaten.

The weak point is cold. Amaltas is not frost-hardy, and frost can kill young seedlings down to ground level, although they usually sprout again from the base. Jaipur's record low is −2.2 °C. A first-year sapling is most at risk on clear, still nights between December and February.