Caesalpinia sumatrana (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Caesalpinia sumatrana Roxb.

Protologue: Fl. ind. (Carey ed.), 2: 366 (1832).

Synonyms

• Mezoneuron sumatranum (Roxb.) Wight & Arnott ex Miq. (1855).

Vernacular names

• Malaysia: darah belut, kelichi rimba (Peninsular)
• Philippines: siit.

Distribution

C. sumatrana is found in the Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo, Java, New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

Uses

In Peninsular Malaysia, a decoction of the leaves is used as a vermifuge, and for intestinal complaints in general. It is also given after childbirth.

Observations

• A liana up to 20 m long, branchlets sometimes armed with up to 5 mm long prickles.
• Leaves paripinnate, rachis 30-50 cm long, with 4-8 pairs of pinnae, stipules early caducous, leaflets alternate, 7-12 pairs per pinna, base cuneate to truncate, apex retuse or rounded.
• Panicle supra-axillary or terminal, 30-80(-100) cm long.
• Flowers bisexual, calyx tube 6-15 mm × 4-8 mm, red, lobes 2-10 mm long, petals 12-32 mm × 8-12 mm, pink, ovary with 2-4(-8) ovules.
• Pod 10-17 cm × 3-6 mm, winged, 1-8-seeded.
• Seed ellipsoidal, brown.

C. sumatrana occurs in lowland forest and forest fringes up to 1000 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.
• [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.
• [810] Quisumbing, E., 1978. Medicinal plants of the Philippines. Katha Publishing Co., Quezon City, the Philippines. 1262 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