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Cassia sieberiana

(African Laburnum)

Common Names

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Common Names in English:

African Laburnum

Description

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Family Fabaceae

The Fabaceae are herbs, vines , shrubs , trees , and lianas found in both temperate and tropical areas. They comprise one of the largest families of flowering plants , numbering 630 genera and 18,000 species. The leaves are stipulate , nearly always alternate, and range from bipinnately or palmately compound to simple . The petiole base is commonly enlarged into a pulvinus that commonly functions in orientation of the leaves (sometimes very responsively, as in the sensitive plant, Mimosa pudica). The flowers are usually bisexual , actinomorphic to zygomorphic, slightly to strongly perigynous, and commonly in racemes , spikes, or heads . The perianth commonly consists of a calyx and corolla of 5 segments each. The androecium consists of commonly 1- many stamens (most commonly 10), distinct or variously united , sometimes some of them reduced to staminodes. The pistil is simple, often stipitate , comprising a single style and stigma, and a superior ovary with one locule containing 2-many marginal ovules. The fruit is usually a legume, sometimes a samara, loment, follicle, indehiscent pod, achene, drupe, or berry. The seeds often have a hard coat with hourglass-shaped cells , and sometimes bear a u-shaped line called a pleurogram. [Carr]

Subfamily Caesalpinioideae

Mostly trees or shrubs . Leaves mostly pinnate, sometimes bipinnate, rarely apparently simple . Corolla usually showy, zygomorphic, the petals imbricate, posterior (upper or banner ) petal innermost in bud. Stamens 10 or fewer, distinct , usually not showy, some commonly reduced to staminodes. Pollen released in monads . Seeds with u-shaped line (pleurogram) usually lacking. [Carr]

Genus Cassia

Trees , shrubs , herbs. Leaf paripinnate or rarely reduced to phyllode; stipules of various shapes , petiolar glands often present. Inflorescence axillary or terminal raceme , terminal panicle or flowers subsolitary axillary; bracts and bracteoles variable. Calyx 5, imbricate, tube short. Petals 5, imbricate, subequal or lowermost larger. Stamens 10, all perfect or subequal or the upper ones smaller or imperfect or only 5 stamens; anthers uniform or upper ones smaller, dehiscing by an apical pore or short slit. Ovary sessile or stipitate , ovules numerous , style with terminal stigma. Fruit variable, terete or compressed , membranous or woody, often 2 valved , sometimes indehiscent, rarely winged lengthwise. Seeds mostly compressed, endospermous.

About 600 species; mostly distributed in tropics and subtropics.[1]

Physical Description

Habit: Shrub , Tree • Climbing: Not Climbing

Biology

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Reproduction

Duration: Perennial

Taxonomy

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Unambiguous Synonyms

  1. Cassia kotschyana Oliv.
  2. Cassia sieberana Dc.

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: –

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Cassia

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 950 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

C. abbreviata · C. abbreviata abbreviata · C. abbreviata beareana · C. abbreviata kassneri · C. abreviata · C. absus · C. acanthoclada · C. acapulcana · C. acapulcensis · C. acaulis · C. accidentalis · C. acclinis · C. acinacicarpa · C. aciphylla · C. acisperma · C. acosmifolia · C. aculeata · C. acuminata · C. acunae · C. acuruensis · C. acutifolia · C. acutisepala · C. adenantha · C. adenensis · C. adenophylla · C. adenopoda · C. adenosperma · C. adiantifolia · C. aegyptiaca · C. aeschinomene · C. aeschynomene · C. aethiopica · C. affinis · C. africana · C. afrofistula (Kenyan Shower) · C. afrofistula var. patentipila · C. afzeliana · C. agnes (Pink Shower) · C. aguaytiensis · C. alata · C. alcaparillo · C. alcaparra · C. aldabrensis · C. alexandrina · C. amara · C. amoena · C. ampliflora · C. anceps · C. andina · C. andrieuxii · C. andromedea · C. angolensis · C. angulata · C. angustifola · C. angustifolia · C. angustisiliqua · C. angustissima · C. anisopetala · C. annulata · C. antillana · C. apaensis · C. aphylla · C. aphylla divaricata · C. aphylla var. divaricata · C. apiculata · C. apoucouita · C. apoucouita var. floribunda · C. appendiculata · C. applanata · C. aprica · C. arachoides · C. arayatensis · C. arborea · C. arborescens · C. arduinervis · C. arduinervis var. brevipili · C. arenaria · C. arequipensis · C. arereh · C. argentea · C. argentinensis · C. arida · C. aristata · C. aristatella · C. aristellata · C. aristulifera · C. arlindo-andradei · C. armata · C. arnottiana · C. arowana · C. artemisiifolia · C. artemisiodes · C. artemisioides · C. artensis · C. articulata · C. aschrek · C. aspera · C. aspera mohrii · C. astroites · C. atomaria

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 19, 2007:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. "Cassia". in Flora of Pakistan . Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
Last Revised: 7/2/2009