Cassia obtusifolia (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Cassia obtusifolia L.

Family: Leguminosae

Vernacular names

• Sicklepod (En)
• Indonesia: ketepeng
• Malaysia: gelenggang sayor, gelenggang nasi
• Philippines: balatong-aso (Tagalog), andadasi (Ilocano), baho-baho (Bisaya)
• Vietnam: dậu ma.

Distribution

Pantropical. Probably native to tropical America.

Uses

Leaves and young tops are eaten. Leaves and roots are also used medicinally against vomiting and stomachache.

Observations

• Annual or perennial, often bad-smelling herb or shrub, up to 2.5 m tall.
• Leaves compound with 3 pairs of leaflets; rachis 4-7 cm long; leaflets obovate, 1-6 cm × 0.5-3.9 cm.

On roadsides, waste places and fallow fields up to 800 m altitude. Often confused with C. tora L. which has different anthers and seeds.

Selected sources

7, 20, 92.