Cassia fistula

Cassia fistula, also known as golden shower, purging cassia, Indian laburnum, kani konna, or pudding-pipe tree, is a flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. The species is native to the Indian subcontinent and adjacent regions of Southeast Asia. It is the official state flower of Kerala state and Delhi UT in India, as well as the national tree and flower of Thailand. It is also a popular ornamental plant and is also used in herbal medicine.

Description

A deciduous or evergreen tree. It grows to 9-20 m high and spreads 3-5 m wide. The stem is erect and slender. Sometimes it has small buttresses. The leaves are 45-60 cm long and divided with 6-16 leaflets which are 15 cm long and 4-9 cm wide. The leaflets are wedge shaped at the base. The leaves are bright green. The leaf stalk is 7-10 cm long. The flowers are yellow and have a smell. They occur in long drooping sprays which can be 20-40 cm long. The flowers are 4 cm across. The fruit are brown pods. These can be 20-60 cm long and 1.5-2 cm wide. They are black and smooth. The seeds are brown and glossy. They are 1.3 cm long and flattened.

Edible Uses

The bark of Cassia fistula is an ingredient in betel paste, the mildly narcotic masticatory popular in parts of Asia. The flowers are edible and can be fried. Young leaves and flower buds are cooked as a vegetable; both have mild laxative properties. The fruit pulp has a sweet taste and mucilaginous texture and is also mildly laxative; it contains derived anthracenes. The pulverised seeds are used as a laxative. The fruit pulp is used as an ingredient in spiced Indian tobacco.

Traditional Uses

The young leaves and flower buds are cooked as a vegetable. The leaves are chopped small before cooking. The flowers are fried. The pulp of the pods is eaten but not the seeds. CAUTION: The pod pulp is a purgative but safe. It is only eaten in small quantities. The pulp is used as an ingredient in spiced Indian tobacco.

Medicinal Uses

The ripe pods and seeds are widely used in traditional and conventional medicine as a laxative. The root bark, leaves and flowers share laxative properties to a lesser degree. In modern medicine, the fruit pulp is sometimes used as a mild laxative in paediatrics. The pulp and leaves contain anthraquinone derivatives (around 2%) and glycosides responsible for the laxative effect, as well as pectins and mucilage. In-vitro and in-vivo tests show seed powder has amoebicidal and cysticidal activity against Entamoeba histolytica and could cure intestinal amoebiasis. The aqueous pod fraction has produced a significant decrease in glycaemia. Aqueous and methanolic bark extracts show significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. An alcohol extract of the leaves has demonstrated antibacterial activity in vivo against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and accelerated wound healing. A water extract of the leaves has shown antifungal activity against Trichophyton spp., Epidermatophyton floccosum and Microsporum ferruginum. The pods are used as a remedy for malaria, blood poisoning, anthrax, diabetes and dysentery. A decoction of the sweet, sticky pod pulp is taken for kidney stones, as a vermifuge and as a laxative; the pulp is extracted by bruising the pods, boiling in water and evaporating the decoction, or by opening pods at the sutures and removing pulp with a spatula. The pulp can turn sour if exposed to air or mouldy if stored in damp conditions. The bark or leaves are widely applied to skin problems. Broken bones and tropical ulcers are bandaged with bark scrapings and leaf sap. The heartwood is traditionally used as an anthelmintic. A root decoction is applied to purify wounds and ulcers. In India, roots are used to treat fevers. Leaf sennoside content is highest shortly after the onset of the rainy season when new leaves appear; pod sennoside content peaks at the mid-stage of fruit maturation when pods are pale brown.

Known Hazards

All parts of plant are poisonous if ingested.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It is native to India. It prefers a rich well drained soil. It needs a protected sunny position. It is drought and frost tender. Plants need a temperature above 16°C for growth. It grows all over India up to 1500 m altitude. It can grow in arid places. In XTBG Yunnan. It suits hardiness zones 10-12.

Where It Grows

Africa, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Cambodia, Central America, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, East Africa, East Timor, Egypt, Ethiopia, Grenada, Guiana, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Kenya, Laos, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Marquesas, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Niue, Northeastern India, Pacific, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Philippines, Rotuma, Sao Tome and Principe, SE Asia, Senegal, Singapore, Sikkim, South America, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, USA, Vanuatu, Vietnam, West Africa, West Indies, Zimbabwe,

Cultivation

Plants succeed in the dry to moist tropics and subtropics, growing in areas where the annual rainfall is in the range 500 - 2,700 mm and the average annual temperatures is 18 - 29°c. Plants are vulnerable to frost. Prefers a deep, well-drained, moderately fertile sandy loam and a position in full sun. It seems to favour calcareous and red, volcanic soils, but is also found on sandy and loamy soils with a pH of 5.5 - 8.7. Tolerates some shade. Established plants are fairly drought resistant. The plants are slow-growing and generally take 8 - 10 years from sowing to flowering. This period can be reduced by vegetative propagation. At the beginning of flowering, the whole crown is covered with flowers; sporadic flowering continues for up to 3 months. The seeds take about a year to ripen. The tree coppices well and produces root suckers freely. It does not compete well with weeds. Although it is a legume, the roots of this species lack nodulating ability and do not fix atmospheric nitrogen. Trees start flowering when 5 years old.

Propagation

Seed germination is improved by mechanical scarification or treatment with concentrated sulphuric acid for at least 45 minutes. Pre-soaking for 12–24 hours in warm water can also be tried. Sow in full light with an adequate water supply — seed can absorb up to three times its weight in water. Germination takes place within a few days. Direct sowing is practised in Asia, and seed can be stored for prolonged periods without loss of viability. Cuttings of half-ripe wood can also be used.

Other Uses

The bark is used for tanning and dyeing. The seeds are a potential commercial source of gum with binding properties superior in viscosity to other binders, making them a candidate for pharmaceutical tablet formulations. The heartwood is yellow, distinctly demarcated from white sapwood; the wood is reddish, hard, heavy, strong and durable, with a straight to slightly interlocked grain and moderately coarse texture. It is used for buildings, carts, fence posts and agricultural implements, and makes good-quality charcoal. The tree can be used as a pioneer species for restoring degraded lands and woodland; because it is not palatable to domestic animals, it is suitable for reforesting overgrazed areas. It attracts wildlife and is suitable for coppicing and carbon farming.

Production

It is fairly slow growing. Trees start flowering when 5 years old.

Other Information

The leaves are eaten in Africa. It is cultivated. It is unknown whether they are used in Papua New Guinea.

Notes

There are 100 Cassia species. This group has been revised to a smaller more consistent group. Also as Caesalpinaceae.

Synonyms

Also Known As

Ai-kadus, Alash, Ali, Amaltas, Amultas, Anmalthassh, Bahava, Bahawa, Banag, Banar lauri, Bandarlauri, Bangru, Bereska, Bhungadu, Bo-cap nuoc, Cana fistola, Cana pistula, Chaiya-pruek, Dhanbahera, Garmala, Gawkngu, Girimalah, Girmala, Golden rain tree, Golden rain, Guayaba cimarrona, Guolong liang, Honaru, Indian Laburnum, Kakke, Kanikkonna, Ka-zo, Khuun, Kiar, Kirwara, Konnai, Konnei, Koon, Koonna, Lom leng, Mai-lum, Muong hoang yen, Ngu, Ngu-gyi, Ngu-shwe, Ngushwe-ama, Phung-ril, Poe yow, Pohon trangguli, Pudding-pipe tree, Purging Cassia, Pwabet, Rajah kayu, Rajataru, Rajbrikh, Rajbriksh, Rajbrikshya, Rajvriksha, Rela, Riechpuhs, Sarakkondrai, Shonaru, Sonarkhi pump, Sonalu, Sonaru, Sondali, Sunari, Sundali, Suvarnaka, Trengguli

References (96)

• Ambasta S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 109
• Bandyopadhyay, S. et al, 2009, Wild edible plants of Koch Bihar district, West Bengal. Natural Products Radiance 8(1) 64-72
• Barwick, M., 2004, Tropical and Subtropical Trees. A Worldwide Encyclopedic Guide. Thames and Hudson p 92
• Behera K. K., et al, 2008, Wild Edible Plants of Mayurbhanj District, Orissa, India. J. Econ. Taxon. Bot. Vol. 32 (Suppl.) pp 305-314
• Bhogaonkar, P. Y. & Devarkar, V. D., 2018, Inventory for ethnovegetable knowledge of the tribals of Satpura hill area-Melghat, Dist. Amravati (India), Plantae Scientia, 2018; Vol. 01 Issue 01: 01-08

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