Senna alexandrina (Bekele-Tesemma, 2007)

Senna alexandrina (Cassia alexandrina) Fabaceae Indigenous

• English: Alexandrian senna
• Afargna: Sanu
• Agewgna: Senno
• Oromugna: Muka-arba
• Somaligna: Jelalo-jel
• Tigrigna: Seno, Utekki

A shrub in semi-desert scrub, Acacia-Commiphora bushland and grassland, particularly on floodplains and shorelines. This species grows from central Sahara eastwards to India and southwards to Kenya. It is found in Dry and Moist Bereha and Dry and Moist Kolla agroclimatic zones of eastern Welo and Harerge regions and in the Afar plains, 0–1,000 m.

Farm tools, medicine (leaves, pods), soil conservation.

An annual woody herb or shrub, 1–4 m, with few branches, hairy when young.

• LEAVES: Compound, on stalks 5–15 cm, with 4–9 pairs of grey-green leaflets, each narrow oval 2–6 cm, shortly stalked, slightly hairy, the tip sharply pointed.
• FLOWERS: In erect spikes 5–30 cm long, 5 greenish sepals overlap 5 bright orangeyellow petals with well-marked veins, 10 stamens of three sizes.
• FRUIT: Flat oblong pods, papery cream-yellow, 3–7 cm long, slightly curved, dark flat seeds are visible inside, finally set free when pod splits.

Seedlings, wildings.

• Treatment: No need.

Need to reduce lower branches to get better stem growth.

There are two varieties in Ethiopia. A traditional and widely used purgative, variety alexandrina is grown commercially in the Sudan and India. In the Sudan, the crop grows on poor sandy soils with some irrigation.