Caesalpinia decapetala (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Caesalpinia decapetala (Roth) Alston

Protologue: Handb. fl. Ceylon, 6 (suppl.): 89 (1931).

• Caesalpinia sepiaria Roxb. (1832),
• Caesalpinia japonica Siebold & Zucc. (1845).

• Mysore thorn (En)
• Indonesia: areuy mata hiyang gunung, secang lembut (Sundanese)
• Philippines: puto (Igorot)
• Thailand: krachaai (central)
• Vietnam: vuốt hùm, móc diều

C. decapetala is found in temperate and tropical regions from the Himalayas southward and eastward to Sri Lanka and South-East Asia, and northward and eastward to China, Korea and Japan. In Malesia it is not recorded for Borneo, the Moluccas or New Guinea; sometimes naturalized where it has been introduced.

In Indo-China, the roots are employed as a purgative. In India, the bruised leaves are applied to burns. In China, the seeds are credited with astringent, anthelmintic, analgesic, antipyretic, and antimalarial properties. In Japan, the roots are used to treat neuralgia. Seeds and roots are also applied as insecticide.

• A shrub or liana up to 25 m tall, branchlets armed.
• Leaves paripinnate, rachis 7-38 cm long, with 3-10 pairs of pinnae, pinna 2.5-7 cm long, stipules obliquely ovate-semicordate, leaflets opposite, 5-12 pairs per pinna, base rounded, apex truncate to retuse.
• Raceme axillary or terminal, 15-32 cm long.
• Flowers bisexual, sepals 6-10 mm × 3-4 mm, petals 6.5-13 mm × 4-8 mm, ovary with 8-10 ovules.
• Pod 6.5-11 cm × 2.5-3 cm, 4-9 seeded, dehiscent.
• Seed ellipsoid, black.

C. decapetala is found in open grasslands, scrubland and forest fringes at 1000-1700(-2000) m altitude; sometimes cultivated at lower altitudes and then often running wild.

• [135] Burkill, I.H., 1966. A dictionary of the economic products of the Malay Peninsula. Revised reprint. 2 volumes. Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol. 1 (A—H) pp. 1—1240, Vol. 2 (I—Z) pp. 1241—2444.
• [256] Ding Hou, Larsen, K. & Larsen, S.S., 1996. Caesalpiniaceae (Leguminosae-Caesalpinioideae). In: Kalkman, C., Kirkup, D.W., Nooteboom, H.P., Stevens, P.F. & de Wilde, W.J.J.O. (Editors): Flora Malesiana. Series 1, Vol. 12(2). Rijksherbarium/Hortus Botanicus, Leiden, the Netherlands. pp. 409—730.
• [521] Keshri, G., Singh, M.M., Lakshmi, V., Mehrotra, B.N., Gupta, D.N. & Vijai Lakshmi, 1988. Antifertility activity of Caesalpinia decapetala - a preliminary report. Indian Journal of Medical Research 87: 377—378.
• [585] Larsen, K., Larsen, S.S. & Vidal, J.E., 1980. Légumineuses-Caesalpinioïdées [Leguminosae-Caesalpinioideae]. In: Vidal, J.E. & Vidal, Y. (Editors): Flore du Cambodge, du Laos et du Viêtnam [Flora of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam]. Vol. 18. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France. 227 pp.
• [602] Lemmens, R.H.M.J. & Wulijarni-Soetjipto, N. (Editors), 1991. Plant Resources of South-East Asia No 3. Dye and tannin-producing plants. Pudoc, Wageningen, the Netherlands. 196 pp.
• [720] Namikoshi, M., Nakata, H., Nuno, M., Ozawa, T. & Saitoh, T., 1987. Homoisoflavonoids and related compounds. III. Phenolic constituents of Caesalpinia japonica Sieb. et Zucc. Chemical and Pharmaceutical Bulletin 35(9): 3568—3575.
• [748] Ogawa, K., Aoki, I. & Sashida, Y., 1992. Caesaljapin, a cassane diterpenoid from Caesalpinia decapetala var. japonica. Phytochemistry 31(8): 2897—2898.
• [810] Quisumbing, E., 1978. Medicinal plants of the Philippines. Katha Publishing Co., Quezon City, the Philippines. 1262 pp.

• Caesalpinia (Medicinal plants)
• Caesalpinia (Dyes and tannins)

• B. Ibnu Utomo