Senna divaricata (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Senna divaricata (Nees & Blume) Lock

Family: Leguminosae - Caesalpinioideae

Synonyms

• Cassia divaricata Nees & Blume.

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: ontobogo, aringin, ketepeng (Javanese)
• Philippines: ataatab (Igorot).

Distribution

Probably native to South America. Introduced into Indonesia (Java, Bali) and the Philippines (Luzon).

Uses

Used as a green manure in coffee plantations and as a temporary wind-break.

Observations

• Shrub, 2-5 m tall.

$Leaves with 6-11 pairs of leaflets; rachis with an orange-reddish gland between the lower and upper leaflet pairs; leaflets elliptical-oblong, 1.5-4.5 cm × 0.5-1.5 cm, apex obtuse or rounded.

• Inflorescence an axillary raceme, single or paired; peduncle 1.5-3 cm long, bearing 2-3 flowers; bracts caducous.
• Petals broadly ovate, 1.5-2.5 cm long, bright yellow; stamens 10, 3 large and 7 smaller ones.
• Pod straight or curved, strap-shaped, 13-22.5 cm × 5-8 mm, 15-50-seeded.

S. divaricata is found in Central and East Java, at 300-1700 m altitude, often along watercourses, on marshy soils, and in clearings, never very frequent. Dried leaves are delicately black punctate or mottled.

Selected sources

• Backer, C.A. & Bakhuizen van den Brink Jr., R.C., 1963-1968. Flora of Java. 3 volumes. Wolters-Noordhoff, Groningen, the Netherlands. 647, 641, 761 pp.
• de Wit, H.C.D., 1956. The genus Cassia in Malaysia. Webbia 11: 197-292.
• Heyne, K., 1950. De nuttige planten van Indonesië [The useful plants of Indonesia]. 3rd Edition. 2 volumes. W. van Hoeve, the Hague, the Netherlands/Bandung, Indonesia. 261, 1450 pp.

Authors

• M.S.M. Sosef & L.J.G. van der Maesen