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).

Synonyms

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

Vernacular names

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

Distribution

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.

Uses

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.

Observations

• 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.

Selected sources

• 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, 521, 585, 602, 720, 748, 810. medicinals

Authors

• B. Ibnu Utomo

See also Caesalpinia (PROSEA Dyes and tannins)