Family:
Fabaceae Lindl.
Genus:
Cassia L.

Cassia sieberiana DC.

This species is accepted, and its native range is W. Tropical Africa to NW. Uganda.

[FTEA]

Leguminosae, J. B. Gillett, R. M. Polhill & B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1971

Morphology General Habit
Shrub or small tree 2–12 m. high (said in F.C.B. to reach 20 m.).
Morphology General Bark
Bark grey to brown or almost black.
Morphology Branches
Young branchlets rather densely pubescent.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves with petiole and rhachis eglandular, the latter (10–)13–29 cm. long. Leaflets in usually 4–12 pairs (to 14, fide I.T.U.), petiolulate, elliptic to ovate-elliptic or sometimes obovate-elliptic, (2.5–)3.5–9.5 cm. long, 2–5 cm. wide, densely appressed-puberulous beneath, ± crisped-puberulous above.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes 15–42 cm. long, pendulous, mostly simple, single and lateral.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts
Bracts persist-ing till the flowers are open.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals yellow, (1–)2–3.5 cm. long, (0.7–)1–2.5 cm. wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 10; filaments of 3 lower each with an S-bend near base, without a swelling above.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pods cylindrical, 30–90 cm. long, 1–1.7 cm. in diameter, glabrous, blackish-brown, cylindrical, transversely but not longitudinally partitioned within.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds not embedded in pulp, brown, ellipsoid or ovoid-ellipsoid, 8–9 × 4.5–7 × 2.5–4 mm., with slight reticulate cracking.
Habitat
Wooded grasslands; ± 1070 m.
Distribution
U1 Senegal and Gambia eastwards to Nigeria, the Congo Republic, Sudan Republic and Uganda

[ILDIS]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Sudanian woodland
Morphology General Habit
Perennial, Not climbing, Shrub/Tree
Vernacular
African Laburnum

[FWTA]

Caesalpiniaceae, Hutchinson and Dalziel. Flora of West Tropical Africa 1:2. 1958

Morphology General Habit
A tree, to 50 ft. high
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Pendulous laburnum-like yellow flower-racemes, and black fruits; flowering in dry season, often when leafless
Ecology
Common in savannah.

[ILDIS]
Use
Environmental, Medicine, Toxins, Wood

Native to:

Benin, Burkina, Cameroon, Central African Repu, Chad, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, Zaïre

Cassia sieberiana DC. appears in other Kew resources:

Date Reference Identified As Barcode Type Status Has image?
Sep 18, 2002 Sinsin B. et al. [2343], Benin K000117630 No
Jan 1, 1986 Mambo, P. [13], Cameroon K000092586 No
Jan 1, 1967 Kotschy [406], Ethiopia K000232479 Yes
Jan 1, 1963 Leeuwenberg, A.J.M. [4386], Burkina Faso K000386610 No
Jan 1, 1963 Leeuwenberg, A.J.M. [4386], Burkina Faso K000386609 No
Kotschy [406], Ethiopia K000232478 Unknown type material Yes
Vogel, E. [72], Nigeria K000417527 Yes
Chevalier, A [24518], Mali K000417529 Yes
Davey, J.T. [516], Mali K000386606 No
Laferrere, M. [46], Mali K000386614 No
Madsen, J.E. [5895], Burkina Faso K000386618 No
Laferrere, M. [46], Mali K000386613 No
Waterlot, E.G. [1067], Mali K000386608 No
Sieber [s.n.], Senegal K000417528 Unknown type material Yes
Sihvonen, J. [11], Burkina Faso K000386611 No
Roberty, G. [17022], Mali K000386607 No
Laferrere, M. [46], Mali K000386612 No

First published in Prodr. 2: 489 (1825)

Accepted by

  • Akoègninou, A., van der Burg, W.J. & van der Maesen, L.J.G. (eds.) (2006). Flore Analytique du Bénin: 1-1034. Backhuys Publishers.
  • Barry, J. P. & Celles, J.S. (1991). Flore de Mauritanie 1: 1-359. Centre Regional de Documentation Pedagogique, Nice.
  • Boudet, G., Lebrun, J.P. & Demange, R. (1986). Catalogue des plantes vasculaires du Mali: 1-465. Etudes d'Elevage et de Médecine Vétérinaire des Pays Tropicaux.
  • Boulvert, Y. (1977). Catalogue de la Flore de Centrafrique 3: 1-89. ORSTROM, Bangui.
  • Brundu, G. & Camarda, I. (2013). The Flora of Chad: a checklist and brief analysis PhytoKeys 23: 1-18.
  • Catarino, L., Martins, E.S., Diniz, M.A. & Pinto-Basto, M.F. (2006). Check-list da flora vascular do parque natural das Lagos de Cufada (Guiné-Bissau) Garcia de Orta, Série de Botânica 17: 97-141.
  • Darbyshire, I., Kordofani, M., Farag, I., Candiga, R. & Pickering, H. (eds.) (2015). The Plants of Sudan and South Sudan: 1-400. Kew publishing, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Govaerts, R. (1999). World Checklist of Seed Plants 3(1, 2a & 2b): 1-1532. MIM, Deurne.
  • Kalema, J. & Beentje, H. (2012). Conservation checklist of the trees of Uganda: 1-235. Kew Publishing, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Lebrun, J.-P., Audru, J., Gaston, A. & Mosnier, M. (1972). Catalogue des Plantes Vasculaires du Tchad Méridional: 1-289. Institut d' Elevage et de Médecine Vétérinaire des Pays Tropicaux, Maisons Alfort.
  • Lebrun, J.p., Toutain, B., Gaston, A. & Boudet, G. (1991). Catalogue des Plantes Vasculaires du Burkina Faso: 1-341. Institut d' Elevage et de Médecine Vétérinaire des Pays Tropicaux, Maisons Alfort.
  • Lock, J.M. (1989). Legumes of Africa a check-list: 1-619. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Thiombiano, A., Schmidt, M., Dressler, S., Ouédraogo, A., Hahn, K. & Zizka, G. (2012). Catalogue des plantes vasculaires du Burkina Faso Boissiera 65: 1-391.

Literature

Flora of West Tropical Africa

  • Aubrév. Fl. For. Soud.-Guin. 217, t. 45, 1–3
  • Benth. in Trans. Linn. Soc. 27: 516
  • Chev. Bot. 224 (incl. var. saheliensis)
  • Steyaert in Fl. Congo Belge 3: 500.
  • —F.T.A. 2: 270

Kew Backbone Distributions

  • Barry, J. P. & Celles, J.S. (1991). Flore de Mauritanie 1: 1-359. Centre Regional de Documentation Pedagogique, Nice.
  • Lebrun, J.p., Toutain, B., Gaston, A. & Boudet, G. (1991). Catalogue des Plantes Vasculaires du Burkina Faso: 1-341. Institut d' Elevage et de Médecine Vétérinaire des Pays Tropicaux, Maisons Alfort.
  • Lock, J.M. (1989). Legumes of Africa a check-list: 1-619. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Flora of Tropical East Africa

  • Bak. f., Leguminosae of Tropical Africa: 632 (1930).
  • DC., Prodr. 2: 489 (1825).
  • Steyaert in Flore du Congo Belge et du Ruanda-Urundi, 3: 500 (1952).
  • W.J. Eggeling, Indigenous Trees of the Uganda Protectorate, ed. 2: 60, fig. 13 (1952).

International Legume Database and Information Service

  • Brenan, J. P. M. (1967). Caesalp. In: Flora Trop. East Africa. Milne-Redhead & Polhill
  • Dalziel, J. M. (1937). The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa
  • Robyns, W. (Ed.) (1952). Flore du Congo Belge, Vol. 3. Mimosoideae, Caesalpinoideae
  • White, F. (1983). The Vegetation of Africa

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    Flora of Tropical East Africa
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    Flora of West Tropical Africa
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • International Legume Database and Information Service

    International Legume Database and Information Service (ILDIS) V10.39 Nov 2011
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • 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