Java bean, Foetid Cassia
Senna obtusifolia
Family: Fabaceae
What it is like
An annual or perennial herb. Often it has a bad smell. It can be a shrub 0.6-2.5 m tall. It has slightly hairy stems. The leaf stalk does not have a gland but the axis of the leaf does. The leaf has leaflets in 3 pairs. They are oval and 1-6 cm long by 0.5-3.9 cm wide. The top of the leaf is rounded but with a sharp tip. It is wedge shaped at the base. The flower stalks have one or 2 flowers. The stalk for the flower cluster is very short, but the stalk for the individual flowers is 1-3.5 cm long. The flower petals are orange-yellow and 1-2 cm long. The fruits are thin slightly curved and tapering pods. They are 13-23 cm long and 4-7 mm wide. The seeds are brown. They are 4.5-6.5 cm long by 2-4 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 throughout the tropics. It is mostly a weed of roadsides and waste places. It grows from sea level to 2,000 m altitude. In Papua New Guinea it grows at about 80 m altitude. It grows along rivers and near lakes. In Africa it grows up to 1,700 m altitude. It can grow in arid places.
Countries/locations it is found in
Africa, Angola, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Caribbean, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Central America, Chad, Colombia, Comoros, Congo DR, Congo R, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Dominican Republic, East Africa, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial-Guinea, Ethiopia, Fiji, French Guiana, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, French Guiana, Guianas, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, Honduras, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Kenya, Laos, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Middle East, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Africa, North America, Oman, Pacific, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Reunion, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, SE Asia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Socotra, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, S Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Tanzania, Togo, Trinidad-Tobago, Uganda, USA, Venezuela, Vietnam, West Africa, West Indies, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe
How it is used for food
The young leaves are cooked and used as a vegetable. Caution: Older leaves can cause diarrhoea. The leaves are fermented into a high protein supplement to meat. The juice during fermentation is made into a stew with okra, beef and salt. The seeds are occasionally dried and ground into powder and cooked and eaten. Caution: The seeds are possibly poisonous and should be well cooked. Seeds are also roasted and used as a coffee substitute.
It is not known if they are used in Papua New Guinea. It is cultivated as a vegetable. Young leaves, flowers and seeds are commonly eaten in some places.
Edible parts
Leaves, leaves - flavouring, seeds - coffee, seeds, vegetable
How it is grown
It can be grown from seed.
The tender leaves are plucked off the plant.
Its other names
Local names
Ajada, Bamdisa, Banikonoka tiga, Brusca cimarrona, Brusca hembra, Charamazca, Cheporon, Coffeeweed, Danfurindo, Djambaduro, Ebisu-gusa, Eedo, Elekmari, Emang, Emany, Gelenggang kechil, Gelenggang nasi, Gelenggang sayor, Godach, Kalahan, Ketepeng, Kilikili, Lapirondyek, Low senna, Luga, Luge, Matapasto, Mpala-ntanga, Muong la-ta, Nachanocu, Ombokodriek, Oyado, Palapantin, Pintcheira-do-mato, Pumaria, Riyer, Sicklepod, Tafasa, Tchunta, Thakara, Ubangue, Ulodje
Synonyms
Cassia humilis Colladon; Cassia obtusifolia L.; Cassia tora sensu auct.; Cassia tora L. var. humilis (Colladon) Colladon; Cassia tora L. var. obtusifolia (L.) Haines; Cassia toroides Roxb.; Cassia toroides Raf.; Diallobus falcatus Raf.; Diallobus uniflorus Raf.; Senna toroides Roxb.;