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The stem bark of ''Cassia angolensis'' contains the anthraquinones chrysophanol, emodin and physcion.
== Botany Description ==
Medium-sized tree up to 25 m tall, deciduous, with straight bole; bark brown, smooth, scaling; young branches almost glabrous to shortly hairy. Leaves arranged spirally, paripinnately compound with 10–13 pairs of leaflets; stipules linear, 1.5 mm long, caducous; petiole and rachis 11–30 cm long; leaflets oblong-elliptical, 3.5–4 cm × 1.5–2 cm, apex emarginate, shortly hairy. Inflorescence an axillary raceme up to 12 cm long, c. 20-flowered; bracts soon falling. Flowers bisexual, zygomorphic, 5-merous; sepals rounded at apex; petals unequal, 2–3 cm long, golden-yellow; stamens (9–)10, the 3 lower ones largest, curved and sterile, 4 middle ones fertile, 3 upper ones rudimentary; ovary superior, linear, curved, glabrous, up to 2 cm long. Fruit a cylindrical pod up to 70 cm long, transversely partitioned, indehiscent, up to 60-seeded. Seeds compressed obovoid-cylindrical, 8–10 mm × 5–9 mm, brown. Seedling with epigeal germination.
== Other botanical information == Until the early 1980s, ''Cassia'' was considered a very large genus of about 550 species, but was then split into 3 genera: ''Cassia'' s.s. with about 30 species, ''Chamaecrista'' and ''Senna''. === ''Cassia mannii'' ===''[[Cassia mannii]]'' Oliv. is very similar to ''Cassia angolensis'' but has white or pink petals, the leaflets are not distinctly emarginate and the margin of the leaflets is pubescent. ''Cassia mannii'' occurs from Côte d’Ivoire southwards to Gabon and eastwards to Sudan and Uganda. In Congo an infusion of the bark is taken to cure bronchial problems and the crushed seeds are applied to skin scarifications to treat neuralgia. The bark is used for tanning and the heartwood is handsome, hard, heavy and tough and is suitable for turning and polishing. === ''Cassia fikifiki and aubrevillei'' ===Two other ''Cassia'' species occurring in the Guineo-Congolian rainforest zone, ''[[Cassia fikifiki]]'' Aubrév. & Pellegr. and ''[[Cassia aubrevillei]]'' Pellegr., are both reported to have medicinal uses. However, all uses on record are from western Côte d’Ivoire and from Liberia where ''Cassia aubrevillei'' does not occur and hence, the uses should probably be attributed to ''Cassia fikifiki''. Water or palm-wine extracts of the stem bark and roots of ''Cassia fikifiki'' are drunk to treat river blindness (onchocerciasis). A decoction of the bark is used for washing leprosy patients and dry powdered bark is sprinkled on wounds to promote healing. The dried bark dissolved in palm wine is taken to cure stomach-ache. To treat dizziness ash of burned pods is mixed with water and applied to the eyelids. The bark contains chrysophanol, aloe-emodin, physcion and rhein. The alcoholic extract of the bark showed significant microfilaricidal activity in vitro. ''Cassia aubrevillei'' and ''Cassia fikifiki'' are included in the IUCN Red List of endangered species as vulnerable and endangered, respectively.
== Ecology ==
== Correct citation of this article ==
Bosch, C.H., 2007. '''Cassia angolensis''' Welw. ex Hiern. [Internet] Record from PROTA4U. In: Schmelzer, G.H. & Gurib-Fakim, A. (Editors). PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa / Ressources végétales de l’Afrique tropicale), Wageningen, Netherlands. <http://www.prota4u.org/search.asp>. Accessed {{CURRENTDAY}} {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}}.