Hairy cassia, Woolly senna
Senna hirsuta

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

A small shrub. It grows 0.2-2.5 m tall. It has hairy stems and bad smelling leaves. The leaf stalk has finger-like glands just above the base. The leaflets are in 3-5 pairs. They are oval and 6-9 cm long by 2-3.5 cm wide. They are hairy. The flower clusters are short and in the axils of leaves. The petals are orange-yellow. They are 1-1.7 cm long. The fruit is a slightly curved pod. They are 8-18 cm long by 3-7 mm wide. The pod is flattened. The pods are densely hairy. The seeds are dark green and lie at right angles to the long axis of the pod. They are 2.5-3 mm long by 2 mm wide.

There are 100 Cassia species. This group has been revised to a smaller more consistent group. Also as Caesalpinaceae.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows from 30-60 m altitude in Papua New Guinea. In Indonesia it grows up to 700 m above sea level. In West Africa it grows in the lowland rain-forest belt. In Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Andaman Is., Angola, Argentina, Asia, Bangladesh, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Central America, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo DR, Congo R, Costa Rica, Cuba, East Africa, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, Gabon, French Guiana, Ghana, Guianas, Guinea, Guinée, Guyana, Himalayas, Honduras, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Kenya, Laos, Liberia, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Northeastern India, Pacific, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Rwanda, SE Asia, Seychelles, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad-Tobago, Uganda, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam, West Africa, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

Seeds used as coffee. They are also roasted with salt and eaten. The young leaves are eaten steamed with food.

It is not known whether the leaves or seeds are used in Papua New Guinea.

Edible parts

Leaves, seeds - coffee, vegetable

How it is grown

In India seeds are produced October to December.

Its other names

Local names

Alcaparro, Angreng paupa, Bado chakunda, Bonda, Caukillo,Deo tarota, Deo torthan, Devtorthan, Kachang kayu, Kandauk, Karuthagarai, Methep, Muong long, Mutuy, Sinteng, Thagarai, Yangnihon

Synonyms

Cassia hirsuta L.; and others