187

12(1): Medicinal and poisonous plants 1

Cassia fistula L.

This article should be read together with the article on the genus: Cassia in the Handbook volume indicated above in this database.

Sp. pl. 1: 377 (1753).

Golden shower, Indian laburnum (En). Caneficier (Fr). Indonesia: trengguli (Javanese), bobondelan (Sundanese), klobop (Madurese). Malaysia: bereksa, tengguli, rajah kayu. Philippines: fistula (Tagalog, Cebu Bisaya), kana-pistula (Tagalog), bitsula (Cebu Bisaya). Cambodia: reach, reach speu, reach chhpoeus. Laos: khoun (general). Thailand: khuun (central, northern), lom laeng (northern), ratchaphruek (central). Vietnam: c[aa]y b[of] c[aj]p n[uw][ows]c, mu[oof]ng ho[af]ng y[ees]n.

Widespread in the tropics; in Java often cultivated as an ornamental, in the Philippines planted as a medicinal or ornamental plant, cultivated throughout New Guinea.

Since ancient times Cassia fistula has been used as a laxative throughout the tropics. In Papua New Guinea, Central Province, broken bones and tropical ulcers are bandaged with bark scrapings and leaf sap. In Thailand, the heartwood is traditionally applied as an anthelmintic. The wood is occasionally used e.g. for posts, carts and agricultural implements. The bark is used for tanning and as an ingredient in betel paste.

A small to medium-sized tree, 10-15 m tall or sometimes more, deciduous or semi-deciduous, branches spreading, young twigs glabrous; leaves with 3-7 pairs of leaflets, petiole 5-8 cm long, terete, leaflets ovate-oblong, 7-12 cm x 4-8 cm, subcoriaceous, base broadly cuneate, apex acute, with shiny upper surface, glabrous when mature; inflorescence an axillary, pendulous, lax raceme, 20-40(-60) cm long, many-flowered; flowers fragrant, sepals 7-10 mm long, petals broadly ovate, golden-yellow, stamens 10, 3 long with filaments 3-4 cm long, 4 shorter with filaments 6-10 mm long, 3 reduced with filaments 3-4 mm long and minute anthers; fruit pendent, terete, 20-60 cm long, 1.5-2 cm in diameter, black, glabrous, indehiscent; seeds numerous, separated by papery septa and embedded in black, glutinous pulp. Cassia fistula occurs in open forest and grassland at lower altitudes.

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Anny Victor Toruan-Purba

Toruan-Purba, A.V., 1999. Cassia fistula L.. In: de Padua, L.S., Bunyapraphatsara, N. and Lemmens, R.H.M.J. (Editors): Plant Resources of South-East Asia No 12(1): Medicinal and poisonous plants 1. PROSEA Foundation, Bogor, Indonesia. Database record: prota4u.org/prosea