WorldFloraDB - Senna auriculata

Characteristics

An evergreen shrub or small tree. It can grow to 7 m high. It has many branches. The branches have short hairs. The leaves are alternate and compound. They have leaflets along the stalk. There are 16-24 leaflets on short stalks. The leaflets slightly overlap. They have a sharp tip. They are more pale underneath. The flowers are large and bright yellow. They are arranged irregularly. They are in groups in the axils of leaves or at the ends of branches. They are 5 cm across on stalks 2.5 cm long. The fruit is a short pod 8-11 cm long by 1.5 cm wide. There are 12-20 seeds each in a separate cavity.

Life form

perennial

Growth form

tree

Growth support

free-standing

Foliage retention

evergreen

Sexuality

hermaphrodite

Pollination

-

Spread

-

Mature width (meter)

-

Mature height (meter)

5.0

Root system

-

Rooting depth (meter)

1.5

Root diameter (meter)

-

Flower color

Blooming months

Jan	Feb	Mar
Apr	May	Jun
Jul	Aug	Sep
Oct	Nov	Dec

Fruit color

-

Fruiting months

-

Nitrogen fixer

-

Photosynthetic pathway

c3

Environment

A tropical plant. It grows in dry regions. In East Africa it grows between 150-610 m altitude. It requires full sun and rich light fertile well drained soil. It needs a pH between 5 and 7.7. It grows in regions with a rainfall between 380 and 4300 mm. It needs average temperatures between 16 and 27.5 °C. It is tolerant of drought. It can grow in arid places.

More

Woodland and wooded grassland at elevations up to 600 metres.

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

Usage

The tender leaves, flowers and pods are eaten by poor people in India. The dried flowers are used as a coffee substitute. The dried leaves are used as tea. The young pods, leaves and flowers are eaten. The bark is bruised and allowed to ferment with molasses to make a drink. The bark contains tannins and alkaloids. Caution:

Uses	animal food coffee substitute drinks dye environmental use fiber fibre fodder food invertebrate food manure material medicinal ornamental poison tanning tea timber vertebrate poison wood
Edible	barks flowers fruits leaves pods
Therapeutic use	Abdominal pain (bark), Antirheumatic agents (bark), Astringents (bark), Diabetes mellitus (bark), Dysentery (bark), Enema (bark), Eye diseases (bark), Pharyngitis (bark), Skin diseases (bark), Abscess (flower), Antioxidants (flower), Antipyretics (flower), Antirheumatic agents (flower), Asthma (flower), Astringents (flower), Conjunctivitis, bacterial (flower), Constipation (flower), Diabetes mellitus (flower), Eye diseases (flower), Fever (flower), Gonorrhea (flower), Gout (flower), Jaundice (flower), Laryngeal diseases (flower), Menorrhagia (flower), Pharyngitis (flower), Skin diseases (flower), Urinary bladder diseases (flower), Urination disorders (flower), Urologic diseases (flower), Urethral discharge (flower), Nocturnal emission of semen (flower), Anthelmintics (fruit), Asthma (fruit), Conjunctivitis (fruit), Cough (fruit), Diabetes mellitus (fruit), Dysentery (fruit), Emetics (fruit), Endophthalmitis (fruit), Gonorrhea (fruit), Gout (fruit), Skin diseases (fruit), Urinary bladder diseases (fruit), Anthelmintics (leaf), Anti-bacterial agents (leaf), Antinematodal agents (leaf), Antipyretics (leaf), Antirheumatic agents (leaf), Arthralgia (leaf), Asthma (leaf), Burns (leaf), Cathartics (leaf), Conjunctivitis, bacterial (leaf), Constipation (leaf), Diabetes mellitus (leaf), Edema (leaf), Eye diseases (leaf), Fever (leaf), Fractures, bone (leaf), Furunculosis (leaf), Gastrointestinal diseases (leaf), Gonorrhea (leaf), Gout (leaf), Herpesvirus 4, human (leaf), Hypolipidemic agents (leaf), Leprosy (leaf), Leukorrhea (leaf), Increase physical endurance, strength and stamina (leaf), Skin diseases (leaf), Sprains and strains (leaf), Ulcer (leaf), Urinary bladder diseases (leaf), Urologic diseases (leaf), Wounds and injuries (leaf), Antirheumatic agents (root), Arthralgia (root), Asthma (root), Astringents (root), Conjunctivitis, bacterial (root), Constipation (root), Diabetes mellitus (root), Eye diseases (root), Fever (root), Gonorrhea (root), Gout (root), Infection (root), Jaundice (root), Leprosy (root), Neoplasms (root), General tonic for rejuvenation (root), Skin diseases (root), Stomatitis, aphthous (root), Thirst (root), Urinary bladder diseases (root), Urination disorders (root), Urologic diseases (root), Urethral discharge (root), Cheilitis (root), Abdominal pain (seed), Anthelmintics (seed), Antidotes (seed), Antirheumatic agents (seed), Aphrodisiacs (seed), Appetite stimulants (seed), Asthma (seed), Chylous ascites (seed), Conjunctivitis (seed), Conjunctivitis, bacterial (seed), Constipation (seed), Cough (seed), Diabetes mellitus (seed), Diarrhea (seed), Dysentery (seed), Edema (seed), Endophthalmitis (seed), Eye diseases (seed), Fever (seed), Gonorrhea (seed), Gout (seed), Hypoglycemic agents (seed), Infection (seed), Leprosy (seed), Lung diseases (seed), Menorrhagia (seed), Skin diseases (seed), Skin diseases, infectious (seed), Urinary bladder diseases (seed), Urination disorders (seed), Urologic diseases (seed), Cooling effect on body (seed), Vermifuge (unspecified), Astringent (unspecified), Skin (unspecified), Abdominal pain (unspecified), Antiviral agents (unspecified), Dysentery (unspecified), Headache (unspecified), Postnatal care (unspecified), Skin diseases (unspecified), Antifungal agents (whole plant excluding root), Antiviral agents (whole plant excluding root)
Human toxicity	-
Animal toxicity	-

Cultivation

Plants can be grown from seeds. They are planted 10-15 cm deep and are put 5-13 cm apart. They are then thinned out. It can be cut back and will re-grow. They can also be grown from stem cuttings.

Mode	cuttings seedlings
Germination duration (days)	-
Germination temperacture (C°)	-
Germination luminosity	-
Germination treatment	soaking
Minimum temperature (C°)	1
Optimum temperature (C°)	22 - 30
Size	-
Vigor	-
Productivity	-