- Family:
- Fabaceae Lindl.
- Genus:
- Cassia L.
Cassia afrofistula Brenan
[ILDIS]
International Legume Database and Information Service
- Conservation
- Not Threatened
- Ecology
- Africa: Zanzibar-Inhambane regional transition zone; bushland and thicket.
- Morphology General Habit
- Perennial, Not climbing, Shrub/Tree
- Vernacular
- Tsiambaravatsy
[FTEA]
Leguminosae, J. B. Gillett, R. M. Polhill & B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1971
- Morphology General Habit
- Shrub or small tree 1.2–6 m. high (? more).
- Morphology Branches
- Young branchlets minutely puberulous (in East Africa), soon glabrous.
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaves with petiole and rhachis eglandular, the latter 7–25 cm. long. Leaflets in 4–9 pairs, petiolulate, ovate to ovate-elliptic, 2–10 cm. long, (1–)1.5–5.2 cm. wide, obtuse or subacute at apex, in Flora area glabrous except at extreme base.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
- Inflorescence a usually erect large pyramidal terminal panicle up to 30–40 cm. long or more, composed of terminal and lateral racemes (8–)15–38 cm. long.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts
- Bracts all falling while the flower-buds are young, 4–8 mm. long.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
- Petals bright yellow, 1.5–3 cm. long, 1–2 cm. wide.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
- Stamens 10; filaments of 3 lower each with an S-bend near base and an abrupt conspicuous swelling a little more than half-way along their length.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Pods subcylindrical or very slightly compressed, usually ± attenuate at base and apex, 20–60 cm. long, 1–1.5 cm. in diameter, glabrous, blackish-brown, transversely but not longitudinally partitioned within.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
- Seeds embedded in pulp, brown or blackish-brown, 6–8 mm. in diameter, 4 mm. thick.
- Figures
- Fig. 11, p. 63.
- Habitat
- Probably coastal evergreen bushland; common in the dry coral areas of Zanzibar and Pemba (U.O.P.Z.: 175); 0–90 m.
- Distribution
- K1 K7 P T3 T6 T8 Z
[FZ]
Leguminosae, R.K. Brummitt, A.C. Chikuni, J.M. Lock and R.M. Polhill. Flora Zambesiaca 3:2. 2007
- Morphology General Habit
- Shrub or small tree, 1–4(6) m tall.
- Morphology Branches
- Branchlets brown, longitudinally ridged, glabrous.
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaves paripinnate; stipules not seen, probably very early caducous; petiole 1.9–8.5 cm long, glabrous; rachis 9–19 cm long, glabrous; petiolules 2–4 mm long; leaflets opposite to subopposite, in 5–6(8) pairs, 2.5–7.2 × 1.6–3.4 cm, ovate to broadly ovate, somewhat asymmetric, apex acute to rounded, base asymmetrically cuneate, glabrous above, glabrous to sparsely pubescent beneath; venation slightly prominent on both surfaces.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
- Inflorescences of axillary and terminal racemes, held erect or horizontally, often branched; axis glabrous or pubescent; bracts c.6 × 1 mm, linear, puberulous; bracteoles c.2 × 0.5 mm, linear, puberulous; bracts and bracteoles falling well before anthesis; pedicels 2.5–4 cm long.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
- Calyx lobes 5, 9–11 × 4–6 mm, ovate to elliptic, sparsely appressed-pubescent outside, glabrous inside.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
- Petals yellow, 16–20 × 10–14 mm including a 2 mm long claw, obovate-elliptic.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
- Stamens 10; filaments glabrous, anthers pubescent, 3 stamens with filaments c.16 mm long, sigmoidally curved in the lower third, abruptly swollen above the middle, anthers c.4 mm long; 4 with straight filaments 6–7 mm long, anthers c.4 mm long; 3 with filaments either straight or helically coiled towards the apex, anthers c.1.5 mm long.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
- Ovary 16–24 × 1–1.5 mm, linear, pubescent, multiovulate; stigmatic chamber lateral, fringed with hairs.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Pod blackish, 40–44 × 1–1.2 cm, cylindrical, terete, many-seeded; pod wall easily crushed between finger and thumb.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
- Seed dark brown, shiny, c.6 × 6 × 3 mm, almost circular, flattened, enclosed in pulp.
Native to:
Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania
Introduced into:
Zimbabwe
Cassia afrofistula Brenan appears in other Kew resources:
First published in Kew Bull. 13: 236 (1958)
Accepted by
- Brummitt, R.K., Chikuni, A.C., Lock, J.M. & Polhill, R.M. (2007). 61. Leguminosae Subfamily Caesalpinioideae Flora Zambesiaca 3(2): 1-218. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
- Du Puy, D.J., Labat, N.-N., Rabevohitra, R., Villiers, J.-F., Bosser, J. & Moat, J. (2002). The Leguminosae of Madagascar: 1-737. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
- Govaerts, R. (1999). World Checklist of Seed Plants 3(1, 2a & 2b): 1-1532. MIM, Deurne.
- Lock, J.M. (1989). Legumes of Africa a check-list: 1-619. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Literature
Kew Backbone Distributions
- Du Puy, D.J., Labat, N.-N., Rabevohitra, R., Villiers, J.-F., Bosser, J. & Moat, J. (2002). The Leguminosae of Madagascar: 1-737. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
- Lock, J.M. (1989). Legumes of Africa a check-list: 1-619. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Flora of Tropical East Africa
- Brenan in Kew Bulletin 13: 236 (1958).
- Dale & Greenway, Kenya Trees and Shrubs p. 101 (1961).
International Legume Database and Information Service
- Brenan, J. P. M. (1967). Caesalp. In: Flora Trop. East Africa. Milne-Redhead & Polhill
- Brenan, J. P. M. (1969). Hookers Ic. Pl. ser. 5, 7:tt. 3658-60. Cassia bur., thyr., afrofi
- Du Puy, D. J. et al. (2002). The Leguminosae of Madagascar. RBG Kew.
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Flora Zambesiaca
Flora Zambesiaca
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
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Flora of Tropical East Africa
Flora of Tropical East Africa
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
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International Legume Database and Information Service
International Legume Database and Information Service (ILDIS) V10.39 Nov 2011
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
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Kew Backbone Distributions
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
-
Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0