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12(1): Medicinal and poisonous plants 1

Cassia javanica 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: 379 (1753).

Cassia nodosa Roxb. (1832), Cassia bartonii F.M. Bailey (1901), Cassia agnes (de Wit) Brenan (1958).

Indonesia: bobondelan (Sundanese), boking-boking (Sumatra), trengguli (Javanese). Malaysia: bebusok, busok-busok (Peninsular). Philippines: pink shower (En), antsoan (Bikol). Cambodia: bô prùk'. Laos: khoun loy². Thailand: chaiaphruk (central), kalalphruk (central, northern), lak khoei lak kluea (Trang). Vietnam: b[uf] c[aj]p, mu[oof]ng b[of] c[aj]p.

Widespread in the Malesian area, wild and cultivated. Widely cultivated all over tropical Asia. The various subspecies are geographically confined to parts of the Malesian area, though sometimes cultivated outside their original area of distribution.

The ripe pods and seeds are used as a traditional laxative throughout the Malesian area. In Thailand, bark and seeds are also used as antipyretics. However, it was noted that emesis may be observed. The bark is used for tanning leather. Cassia javanica, in particular subsp. agnes (de Wit) K. Larsen and subsp. nodosa (Roxb.) K. & S.S. Larsen, is also widely planted as an ornamental. The wood is used for general construction, furniture and cabinet making.

A small to medium-sized tree up to 25(-40) m tall, deciduous or semi-deciduous, trunk of young trees either smooth or armed with stump-remnants of branches; leaves with 5-15(-20) pairs of leaflets, petiole 1.5-4 cm long, leaflets elliptical-ovate to oblong, 2.5-5 cm x 1.5-2.5 cm, base broadly rounded, apex acute or rounded to obtuse; inflorescence a raceme or panicle, terminal on leafy shoots or lateral on short side branches, up to 16 cm long, many-flowered; flowers with sepals 4-10 mm long, green to dark red, petals 15-35 mm long, whitish to reddish or buff, stamens 10, 3 longer ones with filaments 2 cm long, 4 shorter with filaments about 1 cm long and 3 reduced wih filaments about 1 cm long and minute anthers; fruit pendent, terete, 20-60 cm long, 1-1.5(-2.5) cm in diameter, indehiscent; seeds numerous, embedded in a flat disk. Cassia javanica is a very polymorphic species and several subspecies are distinguished. It has a wide ecological amplitude and is generally found at lower elevations.

[97] Backer, C.A. & Bakhuizen van den Brink Jr, R.C., 1963-1968. Flora of Java. 3 volumes. Noordhoff, Groningen, the Netherlands. Vol. 1 (1963) 647 pp., Vol. 2 (1965) 641 pp., Vol. 3 (1968) 761 pp.
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[336] de Wit, H.C.D., 1956. A revision of the genus Cassia (Caesalp.) as occurring in Malaysia. Webbia 11: 197-292.
[357] 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 University, the Netherlands. pp. 409-730.
[580] Heyne, K., 1950. De nuttige planten van Indonesië [The useful plants of Indonesia]. 3rd Edition. 2 volumes. W. van Hoeve, 's-Gravenhage, the Netherlands/Bandung, Indonesia. 1660 + CCXLI pp.
[640] Ibnu Utomo W., B., 1998. Cassia L. In: Sosef, M.S.M., Hong, L.T. & Prawirohatmodjo, S. (Editors): Plant Resources of South-East Asia 5(3). Timber trees: Lesser-known timbers. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, the Netherlands. pp. 144-146.
[653] Irwin, H.S. & Barneby, R.C., 1982. The American Cassiinae. A synoptical revision of Leguminosae tribe Cassieae subtribe Cassiinae in the New World. Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden 35(2): 64-635.
[817] Larsen, K., Larsen, S.S. & Vidal, J.E., 1980. Légumineuses-Caesalpinioïdées [Leguminosae-Caesalpinioideae]. In: Vidal, J.E. & Vidal, Y. (Editors): Flore du Cambodge, du Laos et du Viêtnam [Flora of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam]. Vol. 18. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France. 227 pp.
[1520] 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.
[1564] Whitmore, T.C. & Ng, F.S.P. (Editors), 1972-1989. Tree flora of Malaya. A manual for foresters. 2nd Edition. 4 volumes. Malayan Forest Records No 26. Longman Malaysia Sdn. Berhad, Kuala Lumpur & Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.

Anny Victor Toruan-Purba

Toruan-Purba, A.V., 1999. Cassia javanica 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