Fabaceae
Cassia

Cassia sieberiana DC.

First published in Prodr. 2: 489 (1825)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is W. Tropical Africa to NW. Uganda. It is a shrub or tree and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/144280984/149048451

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

Leguminosae, J. B. Gillett, R. M. Polhill & B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1971

Morphology General Habit
Shrub or small tree 2–12 m. high (said in F.C.B. to reach 20 m.).
Morphology General Bark
Bark grey to brown or almost black.
Morphology Branches
Young branchlets rather densely pubescent.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves with petiole and rhachis eglandular, the latter (10–)13–29 cm. long. Leaflets in usually 4–12 pairs (to 14, fide I.T.U.), petiolulate, elliptic to ovate-elliptic or sometimes obovate-elliptic, (2.5–)3.5–9.5 cm. long, 2–5 cm. wide, densely appressed-puberulous beneath, ± crisped-puberulous above.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes 15–42 cm. long, pendulous, mostly simple, single and lateral.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts
Bracts persist-ing till the flowers are open.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals yellow, (1–)2–3.5 cm. long, (0.7–)1–2.5 cm. wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 10; filaments of 3 lower each with an S-bend near base, without a swelling above.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pods cylindrical, 30–90 cm. long, 1–1.7 cm. in diameter, glabrous, blackish-brown, cylindrical, transversely but not longitudinally partitioned within.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds not embedded in pulp, brown, ellipsoid or ovoid-ellipsoid, 8–9 × 4.5–7 × 2.5–4 mm., with slight reticulate cracking.
Habitat
Wooded grasslands; ± 1070 m.
Distribution
U1 Senegal and Gambia eastwards to Nigeria, the Congo Republic, Sudan Republic and Uganda
[FTEA]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Sudanian woodland
Morphology General Habit
Perennial, Not climbing, Shrub/Tree
Vernacular
African Laburnum
[ILDIS]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Caesalpiniaceae, Hutchinson and Dalziel. Flora of West Tropical Africa 1:2. 1958

Morphology General Habit
A tree, to 50 ft. high
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Pendulous laburnum-like yellow flower-racemes, and black fruits; flowering in dry season, often when leafless
Ecology
Common in savannah.
[FWTA]

Uses

Use
Environmental, Medicine, Toxins, Wood
[ILDIS]

Common Names

English
African Laburnum

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • International Legume Database and Information Service

    • International Legume Database and Information Service (ILDIS) V10.39 Nov 2011
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Living Collection Database

    • Common Names from Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com/

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • World Checklist of Vascular plants (WCVP)

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0