Caesalpinia major (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Caesalpinia major (Medik.) Dandy ex Exell

Protologue: Journ. Bot. 76: 180 (1938).

Synonyms

• Caesalpinia bonduc auct. non (L.) Roxb.,
• Caesalpinia jayabo Maza (1890).

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: kemrunggi (Javanese), areuy mata hiyang (Sundanese), kate-kate (Ternate)
• Cambodia: kouat (kampot)
• Thailand: waat (peninsular)
• Vietnam: vang lá lớn.

Distribution

C. major is found in the Caribbean and fringing parts of the Americas, Madagascar, from India eastward to the Ryukyu Islands, throughout the Pacific Islands,South-East Asia and Queensland (Australia). In Malesia it is not found in the rain forest areas of Sumatra, Borneo, the Philippines, Sulawesi or New Guinea.

Uses

In Indonesia, a decoction of the roots is used as a tonic and as an anthelmintic, as well as to treat rheumatism and backache. In Fiji, the root is likewise used as a tonic. In Cambodia, the roasted and ground seeds are drunk as a kind of coffee to cure respiratory illnesses.

Observations

• A liana up to 15 m long, branchlets armed.
• Leaves paripinnate, rachis up to 75 cm long, with 3-8 pairs of pinnae, pinna 10-30 cm long, stipules subulate, minute, leaflets opposite to subopposite, 3-7 pairs per pinna, base acute to rounded, apex acute to acuminate.
• Raceme or panicle supra-axillary, 10-50 cm long.
• Flowers unisexual, sepals almost equal, 7 mm × 2 mm, petals 4-7 mm × 2-3 mm, clawed, ovary with 4 ovules.
• Pod 5-13 cm × 4-6 cm, hairy, covered with variably densely hairy bristles, 2-4-seeded.
• Seed sub-globular, yellow.

C. major can be found in a variety of coastal habitats, thickets, disturbed places as well as primary forest up to 1000(-1400) m altitude.

Selected sources

• [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.
• [143] Cambie, R.C. & Ash, J., 1994. Fijian medicinal plants. Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Canberra, Australia. 350 pp.
• [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.
• [407] Heyne, K., 1950. De nuttige planten van Indonesië [The useful plants of Indonesia]. 3rd Edition. 2 volumes. W. van Hoeve, 's-Gravenhage, the Netherlands/Bandung, Indonesia. 1660 + CCXLI pp.
• [541] Kitagawa, I., Simanjuntak, P., Watano, T., Shibuya, H., Fujii, S., Yamagata, Y. & Kobayashi, M., 1994. Indonesian medicinal plants: XI. Chemical structures of caesaldekarins A and B, two new cassane-type furanoditerpenes from the roots of Caesalpinia major (Fabaceae). Chemical & Pharmaceutical Bulletin (Tokyo) 42(9): 1798—1802.
• [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.
• [1008] Tomlinson, P.B., 1986. The botany of mangroves. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom, New York, United States & Melbourne Australia. 413 pp.
• [1038] Verdcourt, B., 1979. A manual of New Guinea legumes. Botany Bulletin No 11. Office of Forests, Division of Botany, Lae, Papua New Guinea. 645 pp.

Main genus page

• Caesalpinia (Medicinal plants)

Authors

B. Ibnu Utomo