Senna siamea

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Senna siamea
Kassod (Senna siamea) flowers W IMG 0540.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae
Tribe: Cassieae
Genus: Senna
Species:
S. siamea
Binomial name
Senna siamea
(Lam.) Irwin et Barneby
Synonyms
  • Cassia arayatensisNaves
  • Cassia arboreaMacfad.
  • Cassia floridaVahl
  • Cassia giganteaDC.
  • Cassia siameaLam.
  • Cassia siamea var. puberulaKurz
  • Cassia sumatranaRoxb.
  • Cassia sumatranaDC.
  • Chamaefistula giganteaG.Don
  • Sciacassia siamea(Lam.) Britton & Rose S
  • Sciacassia siamea(Lam.) Britton
  • Senna sumatrana(DC.) Roxb.
  • "Pheasantwood"

Senna siamea, also known as Siamese cassia, [1] kassod tree, cassod tree and cassia tree, [2] [3] is a legume in the subfamily Caesalpinioideae. It is native to South and Southeast Asia, although its exact origin is unknown. [4]

Contents

It is a medium-size, evergreen tree growing up to 18 m (60 ft) with yellow flowers. It is often used as shade tree in cocoa, coffee and tea plantations. In Thailand it is the provincial tree of Chaiyaphum Province and some places in the country are named after it.

Leaves are alternate, pinnately compound, with slender, green-reddish, tinged axis and 6 to 12 pairs of leaflets on short stalks, rounded at both ends.

Uses

Kaeng khilek, a Thai curry made with kassod leaves and flower buds Kaeng khilek.jpg
Kaeng khilek, a Thai curry made with kassod leaves and flower buds
Wood from S. siamea (Tie Dao Mu ) is highly valued in Chinese furniture making. Senna siamea.jpg
Wood from S. siamea (鉄刀木) is highly valued in Chinese furniture making.

This plant has medicinal value and it contains a compound named barakol. The leaves, tender pods and seeds are edible, but they must be previously boiled and the water discarded. They are used in Burmese and also in Thai cuisine where one of the most well-known preparations is kaeng khilek (Thai : แกงขี้เหล็ก).

In Burmese tradition, during the full moon day of Tazaungmon, Burmese families pick Siamese cassia buds and prepare it in a salad called mezali phu thoke (မယ်ဇလီဖူးသုပ်) or in a soup. [5]

Other uses include as fodder plant, in intercropping systems, windbreaks, and shelter belts. [6] As a hardwood, it is used for ornamentation on instruments (ukuleles and guitars) and decorative products. In this capacity it is known as pheasantwood or polohala, named for the similarity of the grain to pheasant feathers. [7] It is sometimes used in Chinese furniture (known as jichimu) interchangeably with wood from the Ormosia species. [8]

Vernacular names

See also

Related Research Articles

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Senna bicapsularis is a species of the legume genus Senna, native to northern South America, from Panama south to Venezuela and Colombia, and also the West Indies. Common names include rambling senna, winter cassia, Christmas bush, money bush, and yellow candlewood. In Florida, Senna pendula is usually cultivated as, and misapplied to, S. bicapsularis.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barakol</span> Chemical compound

Barakol is a compound found in the plant Senna siamea, which is used in traditional herbal medicine. It has sedative and anxiolytic effects. There are contradictory pharmacological research findings concerning the toxicity of Cassia siamea and the active ingredient Barakol. One pharmacological study has shown an hepatoxic effect of Barakol while another study did not show any toxic effect at a daily dosage intake. Further research is needed to verify whether there are toxic effects of Barakol or not.

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<i>Senna italica</i> Species of legume

Senna italica, the Port Royal senna, Italian senna, or Senegal senna is a legume tree in the genus Senna. It is recognized by many other common names based on the regions it grows in. In India, it is used to produce a powder for treating hair-related diseases which is known as “neutral henna”. Whereas, in some parts of the world, this species is cultivated for the leaves which yield the drug senna, known commonly as Senna glycoside, which in turn is the base for a laxative. Senegal senna is easily distinguishable through its many distinctive features. There are 3 subspecies of this plant based on the size of the inflorescence and the length of the petiole. The subspecies are italica, micrantha, and arachoides. In many regions, this plant is cultivated commercially and medicinally.

<i>Cassia javanica</i> Species of legume

Cassia javanica, also known as Java cassia, pink shower, apple blossom tree and rainbow shower tree, is a species of tree in the family Fabaceae. Its origin is in Southeast Asia, but it has been extensively grown in tropical areas worldwide as a garden tree owing to its beautiful crimson and pink flower bunches.

<i>Millettia stuhlmannii</i> Species of plant

Millettia stuhlmannii, commonly known as panga panga, is a well-known species of timber tree that is native to the southeastern Afrotropics. The wood of the tropical species M. laurentii has similar qualities and uses, but is slightly darker, and lacks the copious yellowish white resin of the heartwood vessels. Its foliage is similar to that of Pterocarpus rotundifolius, and it may be confused with the latter when observed from a distance.

Purwodadi Botanical Garden is a research centre in Purwodadi, Pasuruan, East Java, Indonesia. It has an area of 85 hectares and more than 10,000 types of trees and many plant collections. Callus cultures of Agave amaniensis by Setia Dewi were taken in 1988.

References

  1. USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Senna siamea". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  2. Nana Garden
  3. "Gaeng Ki Lek: On the Trail of a Curry from Northern Thailand to Suburban KL (Part 2 of 2)".
  4. AgroForestryTree Database
  5. "The merry, marry months start in Myanmar". The Myanmar Times. Retrieved 2018-11-02.
  6. Senna siamea - Winrock International Archived 2011-09-26 at the Wayback Machine
  7. "Pheasantwood | the Wood Database - Lumber Identification (Hardwood)".
  8. http://www.chinese-furniture.com/cgi-bin/ccf.cgi?stt=stp&pgn=c_furniture/m_jichimu.html