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Senna sophera (L.) Roxb.

Algarrobilla (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Fabales > Fabaceae > Senna

Characteristics

Erect,, almost glabrous shrub, l-2(-3) m high. Stipules ovate, more or less glabrous, c. 5 mm long, caducous. Leaves with 4-10 pairs of leaflets; petiole 3-5 cm long with a thin, subulate or narrowly clavate gland, 5-10 mm above the petiole joint. Leaflets lanceolate, on a slender, 2 mm long petiolule, apex acute, base rounded, 2-5(-8) by 1-2 cm, the upper leaflets largest. Inflorescences axillary, few-flowered corymbs; peduncle 1-2 cm; bracts ovate, 5 mm long; pedicels 1-1.5 cm. Sepals ovate-rounded, 5 mm long. Petals yellow, obovate, 10-14 by 6-8 mm, short-clawed. Stamens: 2 with filaments 5-7 mm long, anthers 5-6 mm long opening by apical pores; 4 shorter with filaments 2 mm and anthers 5 mm, opening the same way; staminodes 3-4, c. 2 mm. Ovary finely pubescent; style thin, glabrous; stigma slightly dilated, strongly incurved. Pods erect, straight or nearly so, cylindric (swollen) or linear-ellipsoid, 6-10 by 0.5-1 cm, sutures not prominent. Seeds 30-40 ovoid, compressed, 3-4 mm.
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Shrubs, 1-2(-3) m tall, glabrous. Leaves 7-18(-21) cm; petiole 3-5 cm, with a subulate or narrow clavate gland 5-10 mm above petiole joint; petiolules ca. 2 mm; leaflets 4-10 pairs, lanceolate or elliptic-lanceolate, 1.7-4.2 × 0.7-2 cm, base rounded, apex acute to shortly acuminate. Corymbs axillary, few flowered; peduncles 1-2 cm; bracts ovate, ca. 5 mm; pedi­cels 1-1.5 cm. Sepals ovate-orbicular, ca. 5 mm. Petals yellow, obovate, shortly clawed. Stamens 10, 6 or 7 fertile, 2 longer; anthers opening by apical pores; staminodes 3 or 4, ca. 2 mm. Ovary finely pubescent. Legume straight, 5-10 × 0.5-1 cm, flattened and slightly thick at first, subcylindric, ± swollen when ripe. Seeds 30-40, ovoid, compressed. 2n = 28.
A small annual shrub. It grows about 2 m high. The larger leaves are 7-18 cm long. The leaves are compound with 8-12 pairs of leaflets. The leaflets can be 7 cm long by 2 cm wide. The leaflets taper. The flowers are yellow. They are in groups of 4-10 flowers. The pod is erect and cylinder shaped. It is 6-10 cm long by 1 cm wide.
Life form perennial
Growth form shrub
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention -
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 1.5 - 2.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

Secondary habitats such as roadsides and waste places at lower elevations in Africa. Mountain slopes and roadsides in southern China.
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It is a tropical plant. In the Himalayas it grows up to 1,200 m above sea level.
Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 9-12

Usage

UsesLocally used for medicinal purposes. See K. Heyne Nutt. pl. Indon. 3 1950 747 Quisumbing Medic. pl. Philipp. 1951 384.
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The leaves are cooked as a vegetable. They are boiled to remove the unpleasant smell and flavour.
Uses environmental use food leaf vegetable medicinal
Edible flowers leaves pods seeds
Therapeutic use Antifungal agents (bark), Asthma (bark), Bronchitis (bark), Cathartics (bark), Cough (bark), Dermatitis (bark), Diabetes mellitus (bark), Expectorants (bark), Skin diseases (bark), Acne vulgaris (flower), Anthelmintics (leaf), Antifungal agents (leaf), Antipyretics (leaf), Asthma (leaf), Bronchitis (leaf), Cathartics (leaf), Common cold (leaf), Conjunctivitis (leaf), Cough (leaf), Diabetes mellitus (leaf), Fever (leaf), Gonorrhea (leaf), Hemorrhoids (leaf), Hiccup (leaf), Jaundice (leaf), Leukorrhea (leaf), Skin diseases (leaf), Anti-bacterial agents (root), Antifungal agents (root), Bronchitis (root), Cathartics (root), Common cold (root), Cough (root), Diuretics (root), Expectorants (root), Fever (root), Influenza, human (root), Malaria (root), Anthelmintics (seed), Antifungal agents (seed), Asthma (seed), Bronchitis (seed), Cathartics (seed), Cough (seed), Diabetes mellitus (seed), Expectorants (seed), Skin diseases (seed), Urination disorders (seed), Headache (unspecified), Eye (unspecified), Fever (unspecified), Malaria (unspecified), Medicine (Vet) (unspecified), Pneumonia (unspecified), Purgative (unspecified), Skin (unspecified), Sore (unspecified), Tumor(Abdomen) (unspecified), Furuncle (unspecified), Herpes (unspecified), Laxative (unspecified), Tonic (unspecified), Aperient (unspecified), Bronchitis (unspecified), Cathartics (unspecified), Parasympatholytics (unspecified), Scabies (unspecified), Scorpion stings (unspecified), Snake bites (unspecified), Syphilis (unspecified), Bronchitis (whole plant), Cough (whole plant), Expectorants (whole plant)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by seedlings. Seeds needs soaking.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment soaking
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Habit

Senna sophera habit picture by Noel Dionson (cc-by-sa)

Leaf

Senna sophera leaf picture by Lisa Ani (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Senna sophera flower picture by Noel Dionson (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Senna sophera fruit picture by Noel Dionson (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Senna sophera world distribution map, present in Angola, Australia, Benin, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, Bahamas, Brazil, Bhutan, China, Côte d'Ivoire, Colombia, Comoros, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Indonesia, India, Iraq, Iceland, Kenya, Cambodia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Liberia, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Maldives, Mexico, Marshall Islands, Myanmar, Northern Mariana Islands, Mauritius, Malaysia, Nigeria, Nepal, New Zealand, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Philippines, Réunion, Singapore, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Seychelles, Thailand, Tonga, Tanzania, United Republic of, United States of America, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), Viet Nam, and South Africa

Conservation status

Senna sophera threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:518364-1
WFO ID wfo-0000164857
COL ID 4WPDX
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID 630647
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Cassia socotrana Senna sophera Cassia lanceolata Cassia frutescens Senna purpurea Cassia linearis Cassia patula Cassia proboscidea Cassia canca Chamaefistula sophera Cassia geminiflora Ditremexa sophera Senna socotrana Octelisia aurea Cassia torosa Cassia indica Cassia atroviridis Senna officinalis Senna lanceolata Cassia sophera Cassia coromandeliana Cassia aegyptiaca Cassia chinensis Cassia robinioides Cassia ruscifolia Chamaefistula chinensis Chamaefistula coromandelina Chamaefistula torosa Cassia esculenta Cassia lanceolata Senna esculenta Cassia sopheroides Cassia atropurpurea Cassia ligustrina Cassia torulosa Cassia occidentalis var. sophera Cassia occidentalis var. glabra Senna sophera var. sophera Cassia sophera var. ligustrinoides Cassia sophera var. torulosa Cassia sophera var. penghuana

Lower taxons

Senna sophera var. purpurea
WorldFloraDB 2024