Cassia grandis (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Cassia grandis L.f.

Protologue: Suppl.: 230 (1781).

Synonyms

• Cassia pachycarpa de Wit (1956).

Vernacular names

• Horse cassia, pink shower (En)
• Malaysia: kotek, kotek mamak
• Cambodia: sac phle, kreete
• Laos: brai xiem, may khoum
• Thailand: kanpaphruek (Bangkok)
• Vietnam: bồ cạp dỏ, ô môi.

Distribution

Originating from tropical America, but introduced throughout the tropics; abundant in Cambodia and southern Vietnam, common as an ornamental and escape in Malaysia, Java and New Guinea.

Uses

The fruit pulp is used as a laxative similar to C. fistula and reported to be more powerful. A decoction of the leaves is used as a laxative and in the treatment of lumbago. C. grandis is also reported to give strong multipurpose wood.

Observations

• A medium-sized tree, up to 20(-30) m tall, semi-deciduous, young branches and inflorescence covered with rusty lanate indumentum; leaves with 10-20 pairs of leaflets, petiole 2-3 cm long, lanate, leaflets subsessile, elliptical-oblong, 3-5 cm × 1-2 cm, subcoriaceous, rounded at both ends.
• Inflorescence a lateral raceme, 10-20 cm long, 20-40-flowered.
• Flowers with sepals 5-8 mm long, petals initially red, fading to pink and later orange, the median one red with a yellow patch, stamens 10 with hirsute anthers, 3 long ones with filaments up to 30 mm and anthers 2-3 mm long, 5 short ones with filaments 7-9 mm and anthers 1-1.5 mm long, 2 reduced ones with filaments about 2 mm long.
• Fruit pendent, compressed, 20-40(-60) cm long, 3-5 cm in diameter, blackish, glabrous, woody, rugose.
• Seeds 20-40 per pod, surrounded by sweetish pulp.

C. grandis is a common ornamental in villages at lower altitude.

Selected sources

97, 284, 336, 357, 409, 416, 653, 688, 817, 1035, 1493.

Authors

Anny Victor Toruan-Purba