Senna obtusifolia

• Overview
• Interesting Facts
• Common Names
• Description
• Biology
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Overview

The leaves are used as a vegetable in Malaysia, but are purgative . Known as 'fawal a meat substitute (20% protein) in Sudan Disar (J, Econ Bot, 1984).

Interesting Facts

Common Names

Click on the language to view common names.

Description

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]

Physical Description

Habitat

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 4,936 meters (0 to 16,194 feet).[1]

Biology

Reproduction

Duration: Annual

Growth

Soil: Minimum pH: 5.1 • Maximum pH: 8.5

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full Sun .

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b, 11. (map)

Taxonomy

Synonyms

Cassia humilis Collad. • Cassia obtusifolia L. • Cassia Tora Sensu Auct. • Cassia tora var. b Wight & Arn. • Cassia tora var. humilis (Collad.)collad. • Cassia tora var. obtusifolia (L.)haines • Cassia toroides Raf. • Diallobus falcatus Raf. • Diallobus uniflorus Raf. • Senna toroides Roxb.

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Comment: Climbing : Not climbing, Conservation Status: Not Threatened, Habit: Herb, Habit: Shrub , Lifespan: Annual , Lifespan: Perennial

Similar Species

Members of the genus Senna

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 83 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:

S. acanthoclada (Senna) · S. alata (Candelabra Bush) · S. alexandrina (Alexandrian Senna) · S. angustisiliqua (Carga Agua) · S. armata (Desert Senna) · S. artemisioides (Feathery Cassia) · S. artemisioides artemisioides (Feathery Cassia) · S. artemisioides nothocoriacea (Wormwood Cassia) · S. artemisioides petiolaris (Cassia) · S. atomaria (Flor De San Jose) · S. auriculata (Avaram) · S. bacillaris (Whitebark Senna) · S. bacillaris var. bacillaris (West Indian Showertree) · S. bacillaris var. benthamiana (West Indian Showertree) · S. bauhinioides (Twinleaf Senna) · S. bicapsularis (Butterfly Bush) · S. bicapsularis var. augusti (Yellow Candlewood) · S. candolleana (Senna) · S. corymbosa (Argentina Senna) · S. covesii (Coves' Cassia) · S. didymobotrya (Peanut Butter Cassia) · S. divaricata (Arbre Bugaud) · S. durangensis (Durango Senna) · S. durangensis var. iselyi (Isely's Senna) · S. floribunda (Devils Finger) · S. gaudichaudii (Gaudichaud's Senna) · S. hebecarpa (American Senna) · S. hebecarpa var. longipila (Wild Senna) · S. hirsuta (Aytera Cimarrona) · S. hirsuta var. glaberrima (Woolly Senna) · S. hirsuta var. hirsuta (Woolly Senna) · S. italica (Italian Senna) · S. italica italica (Port Royal Senna) · S. ligustrina (Bahama Cassia) · S. lindheimeriana (Lindheimers Senna) · S. macranthera (Cassia) · S. marilandica (Maryland Senna) · S. mexicana (Mexican Senna) · S. mexicana var. chapmanii (Bahama Senna) · S. monozyx (Andean Senna) · S. multiglandulosa (Buttercup Bush) · S. multijuga (Alleluia) · S. multijuga lindleyana (Leafy Cassia) · S. multijuga lindleyana var. lindleyana (Leafy Cassia) · S. multijuga multijuga (False Sicklepod) · S. nitida (Golden Rain Tree) · S. obtusifolia (Brusca Cimarrona) · S. occidentalis (Arsenic Bean) · S. odorata (Southern Cassia) · S. orcuttii (Orcutt's Senna) · S. pendula (Christmas Senna) · S. pendula var. advena (Valamuerto) · S. pendula var. glabrata (Christmas Cassia) · S. pendula var. stahlii (Stahl's Valamuerto) · S. petersiana (Dwarf Cassia) · S. phyllodinea (Silver Cassia) · S. pilosior (Transpecos Senna) · S. polyphylla (Desert Cassia) · S. pumilio (Dwarf Senna) · S. purpusii (Baja California Senna) · S. quinquangulata (Quillo Huasca) · S. racemosa (Limestone Senna) · S. reticulata (Bajagua) · S. ripleyana (Ripley's Senna) · S. roemeriana (Roemer Senna) · S. rostrata (New Mexico Wild Sensitive Plant) · S. santanderensis (Brusco) · S. septemtrionalis (Arsenic Bush) · S. septemtrionalis var. septemtrionalis (Smooth Senna) · S. septentrionalis (Hedionda Macho) · S. siamea (Amarillo) · S. singueana (Wild Cassia) · S. sophera (Algarrobilla) · S. sophera var. purpurea (Pepper-Leaved Senna) · S. spectabilis (Canafistola Macho) · S. spectabilis var. excelsa (Canafistola Do Boi) · S. splendida (Golden Wonder Senna) · S. sulfurea (Smooth Senna) · S. surattensis (Glaucous Cassia) · S. timoriensis (Golden Bird) · S. tora (Casse Puante Petite Espece) · S. uniflora (Oneleaf Senna) · S. wislizeni (Shrubby Senna)

More Info

• Search for Pictures: images.google.com
• Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
• Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
• Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books

Further Reading

• Contributions from the United States National Herbarium 45 2003 Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1890- url p. 184, p. 39, p. 576, p. 68, p. 88.
• Flora Malesiana. general editor, C.G.G.J. van Steenis. Djakarta: Noordhoff-Kolff, 1950- url p. 420, p. 681.
• Flora Vitiensis nova: a new Flora of Fiji (spermatophytes only) / Albert C. Smith. Lawaii, Hawaii: Pacific Tropical Botanical Garden, 1979- url p. 110.
• Memoirs of the American Entomological Society. Philadelphia, American Entomological Society, 1916- url p. 10, p. 12, p. 62, p. 9.
• Memoirs of the San Diego Society of Natural History. 16 1989 San Diego, Calif.: The Society, 1931-1989. url p. 37.
• Phytologia. Bronx Park, New York, H.A. Gleason and H.N. Moldenke, url p. 342.

Notes

Contributors

• Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 10, 2012.
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed February 28, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 15 providers.
• Heyn CC and Heller D 1991/1993 (from ILDIS World Database of Legumes).
• ILDIS World Database of LegumesNov 10, 2005.
• Ruggiero M., Gordon D., Bailly N., Kirk P., Nicolson D. (2011). The Catalogue of Life Taxonomic Classification, Edition 2, Part A. In: Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2011 Annual Checklist (Bisby F.A., Roskov Y.R., Orrell T.M., Nicolson D., Paglinawan L.E., Bailly N., Kirk P.M., Bourgoin T., Baillargeon G., Ouvrard D., eds). DVD; Species 2000: Reading, UK.
• The International Plant Names Index. Accessed Jan 19, 2007.
• The Virtual Field Herbarium.
• USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) [Online Database]. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. URL (May 01, 2008)
• USDA, NRCS. 2005. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5 (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal February 28, 2008:

• Australian National Herbarium (CANB)
• Bioversity International: The System-wide Information Network for Genetic Resources (SINGER)
• Comisión nacional para el conocimiento y uso de la biodiversidad: Herbario del Instituto de Ecología, A.C., México (IE-BAJÍO)
• Comisión nacional para el conocimiento y uso de la biodiversidad: Herbario del Instituto de Ecología, A.C., México (IE-XAL)
• GBIF-Spain: Real Jardin Botanico (Madrid), Vascular Plant Herbarium (MA)
• Herbarium of the University of Aarhus: The AAU Herbarium Database
• Herbier de la Guyane
• Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (Costa Rica): Biodiversidad de Costa Rica
• Missouri Botanical Garden
• National Herbarium of New South Wales: NSW herbarium collection
• National Herbarium of New South Wales: Plants of Papua New Guinea
• Natural History Museum, University of Oslo: Vascular Plant Herbarium, Oslo (O)
• SysTax
• SysTax: Herbarium Universitat Ulm
• SysTax: Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso
• UK National Biodiversity Network: Botanical Society of the British Isles - Vascular Plants Database
• University of Alabama Biodiversity and Systematics: Herbarium (UNA)
• University of Vienna, Institute for Botany - Herbarium WU: Herbarium WU
• USDA PLANTS: USDA PLANTS Database

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 3876765
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ILD-664
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13640117
• Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:143294-3
• GRIN Nomen Number: 100044
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 505165
• International Plant Names Index (IPNI) ID: 234560-2
• U.S.D.A. Plant Symbol: SEOB4
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 62778

Footnotes

1. Mean = 241.740 meters (793.110 feet), Standard Deviation = 432.610 based on 603 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]

©2004-2012 David Stang. All rights reserved.