WorldFloraDB - Cajanus cajan

Characteristics

Shrub or subshrub; stems angular, striate, strigose. Leaves trifoliolate; leaflets oblanceolate lanceolate, 4.3-8.2 cm long, 1.2-3.2 cm wide, the terminal leaflet slightly longer than the lateral leaflets, apically acute, basally cuneate, the margins revolute, velutinous and gland dotted beneath, glabrous above; petiolules 0.4-1.0 cm long, the lateral leaflets subsessile; petioles 0.6-1.2 cm long, angled, puber-ulent; stipules lanceolate, 2.0-5.0 mm long, strigose; stipels linear to subulate, ca. 1.0 mm long. Inflorescence with racemes 4.0-9.0 cm long, 5-6 (-12)-flowered; peduncles 2.0-4.0 cm long, strigose; pedicel 0.6-0.8 mm long, strigulose; bracts subtending the flowers ovate, 0.5-0.7 cm long, 0.3 cm wide, caducous. Flowers with the calyx 0.8-1.0 cm long, not exceeding the corolla, puberulent, the upper lobes of the calyx partly united; corolla yellow striped with maroon or brown, 1.0-1.6 cm long, the standard obovate, 1.3-1.5 cm long, 1.4-1.5 cm wide, auri-culate, the claw ca. 2.0 mm long, the wing oblong, 1.3-1.4 cm long, 0.5-0.7 cm wide, the claw ca. 4.0 mm long, the keel falcate, not auriculate, 1.2-1.5 cm long, 0.5-0.7 cm wide, the claw 0.5 cm long; stamens 1.3-1.4 cm long, vexillary stamen free; style 1.2-1.3 cm long, the stigma capitate. Fruits oblong, 5.5-7.0 cm long, 0.8-1.0 cm wide, green with brown mottling, puberulent, the beak 0.7-1.0 cm long, the compressions between the ovules oblique; seeds 4-5, ovoid, brown with white mottling, 5.0 mm long, 6.0 mm wide, the hilum linear.

More

Leaflets elliptic to lanceolate, green above, conspicuously paler silvery grey-green beneath, 2.5–10 × 1.4–3.5 cm, acute, cuneate, with exceedingly fine, short, velvety pubescence above and longer whitish hairs beneath, both surfaces (particularly the lower) covered with small yellow glands; venation prominent beneath and yellowish in life; petiole 1–5.5 cm long; rhachis 0.8–1.3 cm long, slightly winged; petiolules 2–4 mm long, fulvous pubescent.

Standard bright yellow with reddish-brown or crimson guide lines and often flushed a similar colour outside, almost round, 1.2–1.7 cm in diameter; wings yellow; keel yellow-green.

Seeds buff or cream-coloured with a chestnut hilum, or brown or reddish, compressed-globose, 6–6.5 × 4.5–5.5 mm, minutely shallowly pitted.

Pods straw-coloured, often streaked purplish-black, almost straight, 4.5–10 × (0.5)0.8–1.4 cm, hairy and glandular.

Peduncles 2–7 cm long; bracts deciduous, ovate, 8 × 5 mm, acute; pedicels 1–1.7 cm long; all fulvous pubescent.

Stems prominently ribbed, covered with short golden appressed or slightly spreading silky pubescence.

Inflorescence a terminal panicle together with numerous subcapitate axillary racemes.

Calyx velvety fulvous and glandular; tube 5 mm long; lobes 4–7 mm long.

Erect subshrub or shrub 1.5–3(4) m tall.

Life form	perennial
Growth form	shrub
Growth support	free-standing
Foliage retention	deciduous
Sexuality	hermaphrodite
Pollination	-
Spread	-
Mature width (meter)	-
Mature height (meter)	2.75 - 4.0
Root system	tap-root
Rooting depth (meter)	-
Root diameter (meter)	-
Flower color	-
Blooming months	-
Fruit color
Fruiting months	-
Nitrogen fixer
Photosynthetic pathway	c3

Environment

Light
Soil humidity
Soil texture
Soil acidity
Soil nutriment	-
Hardiness (USDA)

Usage

Uses	animal food environmental use essential oil fodder food fuel gene source green manure invertebrate food material medicinal poison wood
Edible	leaves pods seeds shoots
Therapeutic use	Antifungal agents (flower), Stomatitis, aphthous (flower), Tongue diseases (flower), Breast diseases (fruit), Lactation (fruit), Mouth diseases (fruit), Analgesics (leaf), Anti-inflammatory agents (leaf), Blister (leaf), Breast diseases (leaf), Cholera (leaf), Common cold (leaf), Cough (leaf), Diabetes mellitus (leaf), Diuretics (leaf), Dysentery (leaf), Eczema (leaf), Galactogogues (leaf), Gingivitis (leaf), Inflammation (leaf), Jaundice (leaf), Lactation (leaf), Laxatives (leaf), Leukorrhea (leaf), Liver diseases (leaf), Measles (leaf), Mouth diseases (leaf), Mouthwashes (leaf), Oral ulcer (leaf), Periodontal diseases (leaf), Skin diseases (leaf), Stomatitis, aphthous (leaf), Toothache (leaf), Ulcer (leaf), Urination disorders (leaf), Uveitis (leaf), Vasodilator agents (leaf), Wounds and injuries (leaf), Antifungal agents (root), Common cold (root), Fistula (root), Hematologic diseases (root), Hemorrhoids (root), Abortifacient agents (seed), Anthelmintics (seed), Anti-bacterial agents (seed), Anti-inflammatory agents (seed), Anti-obesity agents (seed), Antipyretics (seed), Antiviral agents (seed), Breast diseases (seed), Bronchitis (seed), Cough (seed), Diet, food, and nutrition (seed), Edema (seed), Expectorants (seed), Fever (seed), Galactogogues (seed), Heart diseases (seed), Hematologic diseases (seed), Hemorrhage (seed), Hemorrhoids (seed), Hypercholesterolemia (seed), Hypoglycemic agents (seed), Infection (seed), Intestinal diseases, parasitic (seed), Jaundice (seed), Lactation (seed), Neoplasms (seed), Obesity (seed), Oral ulcer (seed), Pectoralis muscles (seed), Anti-poisoning (seed), Skin diseases (seed), Sleep aids, pharmaceutical (seed), Snake bites (seed), Trypsin inhibitors (seed), Vomiting (seed), Abdomen (unspecified), Antidote (unspecified), Antidote(Fish) (unspecified), Antidote(Manihot) (unspecified), Astringent (unspecified), Bite(Bat) (unspecified), Bronchitis (unspecified), Cold (unspecified), Colic (unspecified), Convulsion (unspecified), Cough (unspecified), Detersive (unspecified), Diarrhea (unspecified), Diuretic (unspecified), Earache (unspecified), Enteritis (unspecified), Expectorant (unspecified), Flu (unspecified), Gargle (unspecified), Leprosy (unspecified), Pectoral (unspecified), Soporific (unspecified), Sore (unspecified), Sore(Throat) (unspecified), Stroke (unspecified), Swelling (unspecified), Tumor (unspecified), Tumor(Abdomen) (unspecified), Urticaria (unspecified), Vermifuge (unspecified), Vertigo (unspecified), Vulnerary (unspecified), Witchcraft (unspecified), Ciguatera (unspecified), Dermatosis (unspecified), Dysentery (unspecified), Jaundice (unspecified), Laxative (unspecified), Sedative (unspecified), Anthelmintics (unspecified), Anticonvulsants (unspecified), Antiviral agents (unspecified), Asthma (unspecified), Constipation (unspecified), Hemagglutination (unspecified), Hemorrhoids (unspecified), Snake bites (unspecified), Hydrocele (unspecified), Urination disorders (unspecified)
Human toxicity	-
Animal toxicity	-

Cultivation

Mode	-
Germination duration (days)	-
Germination temperacture (C°)	-
Germination luminosity	-
Germination treatment	-
Minimum temperature (C°)	-
Optimum temperature (C°)	18 - 38
Size	-
Vigor	-
Productivity	-