Senna siamea
(Lam.) H.S. Irwin and Barneby
Cassod Tree, Siamese senna tree
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(c) Rui Da Silva Pinto, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Rui Da Silva Pinto
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(c) Phan Vũ Phúc Lân, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Summary
Source: WikipediaSenna siamea, also known as Siamese cassia, kassod tree, cassod tree and cassia tree, is a legume in the subfamily Caesalpinioideae. It is native to South and Southeast Asia, although its exact origin is unknown.
Description
An evergreen tree. It grows to 10 m high and spreads to 4 m across. It can be a small tree or grow up to 30 m high. The stem is erect and slender. The leaves are dark green and 30 cm long. They are divided into 4-14 pairs of leaflets each 3-7.5 cm long by 1.2-2.6 cm wide. The flowers are yellow and arranged in large sprays. These can be 45 cm long. They grow at the end of branches. The fruit are black pods 35 cm long by 1.2-1.6 cm wide and bulging over the seeds. The pods have thickened edges.
Edible Uses
Young fruits and leaves are eaten as a vegetable, with the cooking liquid replaced three times during preparation to remove toxins. Flowers and young fruits are used in curries.
Traditional Uses
The young flowers, fruits and leaves are eaten cooked. The leaves are eaten in Thailand after boiling for 1-2 hours and then discarding the water. They are bitter but are used in soups. The flowers are eaten in curries. CAUTION: The leaves and seeds are poisonous without treatment.
Medicinal Uses
In traditional medicine, the fruit is used to expel intestinal worms and to prevent convulsions in children. The heartwood is said to be laxative, and a decoction is used against scabies.
Known Hazards
The sawdust may cause some irritation to the nose, throat and eyes. The wood sometimes produces a yellow powder that may cause irritation to the skin.
Distribution
A tropical plant. It comes from SE tropical Asia and grows in Ethiopia and East Africa. It suits subhumid and arid zones in the tropics. It grows in the Sahel. It needs moist, well drained soils. In East Africa it grows from sea level to 1,600 m altitude. It grows in areas with a rainfall of 700-1500 mm annual average. It is drought and frost tender. It can grow in arid places. It suits hardiness zones 10-11. In Yunnan.
Where It Grows
Africa, Antigua and Barbuda, Asia, Australia, Barbados, Benin, Brunei, Cambodia, Central Africa, Chad, China, Congo DR, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Africa, East Timor, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Fiji, Ghana, Grenada, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Kenya, Laos, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Marquesas, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Northeastern India, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Rotuma, Sahel, Sao Tome and Principe, SE Asia*, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Sri Lanka, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Swaziland, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, USA, Vietnam, Virgin Islands, West Africa, West Indies, Zambia, Zimbabwe,
Cultivation
The plants are grown from seed. The seed need to have the hard seed coat broken before planting. The plants can be cut back and will re-grow. They can be used as a hedge.
Propagation
Seed requires pre-treatment to soften the hard seedcoat and allow water uptake. Soak in a small amount of nearly boiling water (which cools quickly and will not cook the seed), then soak in warm water for 12–24 hours. Alternatively, carefully abrade a small section of the seedcoat without damaging the embryo. Germination of treated seed is approximately 90% within 60 days; untreated seed germinates at about 75% in 4–29 days. Seed is usually sown in situ in full sunlight, as even slight shade considerably reduces germination. Early seedling growth can be slow, reaching only 29cm after 8 weeks. Storage is orthodox; viability can be maintained for 3 years in hermetic storage at room temperature with 11–15% moisture content. There are 35,000–45,000 seeds per kg.
Other Uses
The tree is grown as shade along roads and in cocoa, coffee, and tea plantations, and is planted as a dense windbreak and shelterbelt. Pruned into hedgerows, it acts as a live fence around food crops, effectively increasing topsoil infiltration and reducing runoff and soil erosion. Leaves are used as green manure — a well-grown tree can yield 500 kg per year of fresh leaves. The tree forms ecto-mycorrhizae and provides useful mulch, especially in alley-cropping systems. It is used extensively to rehabilitate degraded land, including re-vegetating aluminium mine tailings. Although not a nitrogen-fixing tree, its coppicing ability and high biomass production make it increasingly popular in alley cropping. In India it is used as a host for sandalwood (Santalum spp.), a parasitic tree producing aromatic wood. All plant parts can be used for tanning, with tannin concentrations of approximately 17% in the leaves, 9% in the bark, and 7% in the fruits. The heartwood is black-brown with paler streaks, sharply demarcated from a 6cm band of pale sapwood. The grain is interlocked and occasionally straight, with a slightly coarse but even texture. The wood is medium-weight to heavy, hard to very hard, resistant to termites, strong, and durable. It is difficult to work, tends to pick up during planing, and takes a high polish. The dark, often attractively figured heartwood is used for joinery, cabinet making, inlaying, handles, walking sticks, and other decorative purposes. The wood is also used for poles, posts, bridges, mine poles, and beams. It makes good fuel, though it produces some smoke; its energy value is 22,400 kJ/kg. It was formerly preferred for locomotive engines, and its charcoal is of excellent quality.
Production
It has a fast growth rate.
Other Information
It is not known if they are used in Papua New Guinea.
Notes
There are about 100 Cassia species. Also as Caesalpinaceae.
Nutrition
| Part | Moisture | kJ | kcal | Protein | Vit A | Vit C | Iron | Zinc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leaves | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Leaves | 65.6 | — | 114 | 7.4 | — | — | 5.3 | — |
Synonyms
Also Known As
Ai-coxote, Angkanh, Boordi, Jaha, Jahor, Jeragor, Kasod tree, Kasood, Kassod, Keelek, Keshya wa milimo, Khee lek, Khi lek, Ki lak yai, Lin pakk kee lek, Maixili, Manje-konne, Muong den, Muong xiem, Phak khee lek, Pohon johar, Sebusok, Sia sunaru, Sima tangedu, Thailand shower
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