Winter cassia, Sticky pod
Senna singueana

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

A shrub or small tree. It grows 4-5 m high. It can grow 15 m high. The bark is brown and rough. It loses its leaves during the year. The leaves are compound with leaflets along the stalk. The leaves have 4-10 pairs of leaflets. The leaflets are oval and 2.5-5 cm long and 1-1.5 cm wide. There is a gland between each pair of leaflets. The flowers are deep yellow. They occur in large loose sprays. These are about 15 cm long by 20 cm wide. The fruit is a narrow pod. It is 25 cm long. It is constricted between the seeds. They are yellow when ripe.

There are about 100 Cassia species. Also as Caesalpinaceae.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in the drier savannah in tropical Africa. It suits hot arid places with a marked dry season. It can grow in rocky soils. It grows from 1500-1850 m altitude, and up to 2400 m altitude in Ethiopia. It re-grows after fire. It can grow in arid places. It is often on termite mounds. It grows in woodland and rocky hillsides at medium to low altitudes.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Asia, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Central Africa, Chad, Comoros, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Southern Africa, SE Asia, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The young leaves are eaten cooked. The pods are eaten raw or made into a porridge after soaking, then boiling. The seeds are roasted and used as a coffee substitute.

The pods are especially eaten by children. The leaves are often a famine food.

Edible parts

Leaves, seeds - coffee, pods, fruit, vegetable

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seeds. Seeds germinate easily.

It is quick growing. In Tanzania fruit are collected during the dry season usually from July to November.

Its other names

Local names

Busa, Hanqarar, Isihaqa esincinyane, Kadate, Kafungu-nasya, Karahaleko, Mbaraka, Mhumba, Mkundekunde, Mlewelewe, Mliwaliwa, Mpatsachokolo, Msua, Mtogo, Muhasa, Mukengeka, Munzungunzungu, Mutungulu, Mwisa, Ndiapimbwa, Ntantanyerere, Ntewelewe, Nuhumba, Tawetawe, Winter senna

Synonyms

Cassia goratensis Fresen.; Cassia singueana Del.; Cassia singueana Diels var. glabra (E.G. Baker)Brenan