Gliricidia (Gliricidia sepium)

Gliricidia (Gliricidia sepium) is a medium-size, semi-deciduous tree that typically grows to 10 m (occasionally reaching 15 m) in height, with a broad canopy. Native to Central America and possibly northern South America, its cultivation is now pantropical. It grows best in tropical, seasonally dry climates.

It is a fast-growing, nitrogen-fixing tree used throughout the tropics for the many environmental services and products it provides. Gliricidia is widely used to provide crop shade for cacao, coffee, and other shade-loving crops, living fence posts for pasture and property boundaries, and as a fallow tree to improve degraded land. The tree is also an important source of green manure, fodder, and fuel wood. Its ease of propagation by seed and small and large cuttings makes it a very easy tree for farmers to multiply quickly. It is probably the most widely cultivated multi-purpose agro-forestry tree after Leucaena leucocephala.

Taxonomy:

Kingdom : Plantae
Division : Magnoliophyta
Class : Magnoliopsida
Order : Fabales
Family : Fabaceae
Subfamily : Faboideae
Tribe : Robinieae
Genus : Gliricidia
Species : Gliricidia sepium

Pronunciation/Meaning:

• Fabaceae (fab-AY-see-ay) - The Faba (broad bean) family, (formerly Leguminosae).
• Gliricidia (gly-rih-SY-dee-uh) - From the Latin glis (dormouse) and caedo (kill); referring to the use of the seeds and bark to poison rodents.
• sepium (SEP-ee-um) - Of hedges and fences.

Common Names:

• Gliricidia, Mexican Lilac, Forest Lilac, Mother of Cocoa, Nicaraguan Coffee Shade, Quick Stick, St. Vincent Plum, Tree of Iron (English)
• Seemai agathi (Tamil)
• Seema konna (Malayalam)
• Gobbarda mara (Kannada)
• Madri (Telugu)
• Saranga (Bengali)

Links:

• AgroForestry - Gliricidia
• Tropical Forages - Gliricidia
• Purdue University : Center for New Crops & Plant Products - Gliricidia
• Flowers of India - Gliricidia

Image Courtesy of Dinesh Valke.

Red Cassia (Cassia roxburghii)

Red cassia (Cassia roxburghii) is a fairly large “shower” tree, native to Sri Lanka and southern India, with feather like pinnately compound leaves and twigs covered with a dense carpet of fine, soft hairs. The leaves are about 1 ft long and each has 15-20 pairs of oblong 2 inch leaflets.

Red cassia produces clusters of pink, rose or orange flowers in axillary and terminal, often branched, racemes. The flower petals are about 0.5 inch  long and the conspicuous yellow stamens are characteristically swollen at their middles. The fruit is a typical legume: it is cylindrical and indehiscent (does not split open by itself), 8-12 inch long, less than 1 inch in diameter, and bears many seeds separated by papery partitions.

Taxonomy:

Kingdom : Plantae
Division : Magnoliophyta
Class : Magnoliopsida
Order : Fabales
Family : Fabaceae
Subfamily : Caesalpinioideae
Tribe : Cassieae
Subtribe : Cassiinae
Genus : Cassia
Species : Cassia roxburghii

Pronunciation/Meaning:

• Cassia (KASS-ee-uh) - From an ancient Greek name Kasia used by Dioscorides.
• roxburghii (roks-BURGH-ee-eye) - Named for William Roxburgh, 18th century Scottish botanist, who specialized in the flora of India.

Common Names:

• Red Cassia, Ceylon Senna

Links:

• Flowers of India - Red Cassia
• Floridata - Red Cassia

Image Courtesy of Shaista Ahmad.

Tanner’s Cassia (Cassia auriculata)

Tanner’s Cassia (Cassia auriculata syn. Senna auriculata) is a legume tree in the subfamily Caesalpinioideae, native to South India. It is a branched shrub, growing upto 1-1.5 m high. It has a smooth reddish brown bark. It has many ascending branches and 8-10 cm long pinnate leaves. There are 8-12 pairs of leaflets, each 2-3 cm long. Bright yellow flowers appear in recemes at the end of branches. The flowers are 4-5 cm across. Upper three stamens are reduced to stamenoides. Fruit is a 7-12 cm long, flat brown pod.

It is suitable for landscaping roadways and home gardens. It tolerates drought and dry conditions, but not much cold. The flowers in racemes are also attractive. In Ayurveda, the root of this plant is used in a decoction for fevers, diabetes, diseases of the urinary system and constipation. The leaves have laxative properties. The dried flower and flower buds are used as substitute.

Taxonomy:

Kingdom : Plantae
Division : Magnoliophyta
Class : Magnoliopsida
Order : Fabales
Family : Fabaceae
Subfamily : Caesalpinioideae
Tribe : Cassieae
Subtribe : Cassiinae
Genus : Cassia
Species : Cassia auriculata

Pronunciation/Meaning:

• Fabaceae (fab-AY-see-ay) - The Faba (broad bean) family, (formerly Leguminosae).
• Cassia (KASS-ee-uh) - From an ancient Greek name Kasia used by Dioscorides.
• auriculata (aw-rik-yoo-LAY-tuh) - Shaped like an ear, eared.

Common Names:

• Tanner’s Cassia (English)
• Avartaki (Sanskrit)
• Awal, Tarwar (Hindi)
• Tarod, Tarwad (Marathi)
• Avaraim, Avirai (Tamil)
• Avaram (Malayalam)
• Avarikke, Tangedi (Kannada)
• Tagedu (Telugu)
• Awala (Gujarati)

Links:

• Flowers of India - Tanner’s Cassia

Image Courtesy of Dinesh Valke.

Rosary Pea (Abrus precatorius)

Rosary Pea (Abrus precatorius) is a legume with long, pinnate-leafleted leaves, native to India, and perhaps other parts of tropical Asia. Their seeds are often used as beads and in percussion instruments. The seed is highly poisonous but is unlikely to harm if swallowed raw and unbroken, as they have a hard seed coat.

A high-climbing, twining, or trailing woody vine with alternately compound leaves, indigenous to India. Leaves alternate, 5-13 cm long, even-pinnately compound with 5-15 pairs of leaflets, these oval to oblong, to 1.8 cm long, with margins entire. The flowers, shaped like pea flowers, are small, pale, violet to pink and arranged in clusters. Fruit a short, oblong pod, splitting before falling to reveal 3-8 shiny hard seeds, 6-7 mm long, scarlet with black bases. The seeds of abrus precatorius are much valued in native jewelry for their bright coloration. The third of the bean with the hilum (attachment scar) is black, while the rest is bright red, suggesting a ladybug.

Taxonomy:

Kingdom : Plantae
Division : Magnoliophyta
Class : Magnoliopsida
Order : Fabales
Family : Fabaceae
Subfamily : Faboideae
Tribe : Abreae
Genus : Abrus
Species : Abrus precatorius

Pronunciation/Meaning:

• Fabaceae (fab-AY-see-ay) - The Faba (broad bean) family, (formerly Leguminosae).
• Abrus (AY-brus) - Possibly from the Arabic vernacular name.
• precatorius (prek-uh-TOR-ee-us) - From the Latin precari, to pray; supplication; prayerful.

Common Names:

• Rosary Pea, Crab’s Eye, ‘John Crow’ Bead, Precatory Bean, Coral Bead Vine, Indian Licorice, Jequirity (English)
• Gunjaa (Sanskrit)
• Rati, Gunchi (Hindi)
• Gunja (Marathi)
• Kundumaniver (Tamil)
• Kunni-kuru (Malayalam)
• Gulaganji (Kannada)
• Gurugunji (Tulu)
• Guruvenda, Guruginja (Telugu)
• Kunch-ka-jar, Jaishtomodhu (Bengali)
• Ratti (Gujarati)

Links:

• Flowers of India - Rosary Pea
• University of Florida : Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants - Rosary Pea
• Rain Tree - Rosary Pea

Image Courtesy of Bryan (dabryan).

Horse Bean (Canavalia ensiformis)

Horse Bean (Canavalia ensiformis) is a legume which is used for animal fodder and human nutrition. Is is also the source of Concanavalin A. It is a fast-growing, usually erect, sometimes shrubby twining annual up to l m high, with runners occasionally extending to 10 m. Deep rooted and drought resistant. Leaves pinnately 3-foliate, 25-30 cm long. Ovate leaflets 7-17 cm. Flowers occur in 10-12 flowered, curved, axillary racemes 10-20 cm long. Flowers are deep pink, and have the usual pea flower form. Pods are 15-30 cm long and shaped so as to invite a name like sword bean.

The seeds are edible but somewhat toxic if consumed in large quantities. Mostly used for human food or green manure, but in some countries cultivated under irrigation as fodder. The forage is palatable only when dried. Due to toxicity, caution is required in feeding herbage and pods of jack bean.

Taxonomy:

Kingdom : Plantae
Division : Magnoliophyta
Class : Magnoliopsida
Order : Fabales
Family : Fabaceae
Genus : Canavalia
Species : Canavalia ensiformis

Pronunciation/Meaning:

• Fabaceae (fab-AY-see-ay) - The Faba (broad bean) family, (formerly Leguminosae).
• Canavalia (kan-uh-VAY-lee-uh) - Latinized form of the Malabar vernacular kanavali, the name for this genus of climbing herbs.
• ensiformis (en-see-FORM-iss) - Sword- (or lance-) shaped.

Common Names:

• Horse Bean, Jack Bean, Sword Bean (English)
• Bara sem, Makham sem (Hindi)
• Abai (Marathi)
• Kattu-t-tampattan, Thambattai, Valavarai (Tamil)
• Kaadu avare balli, Tamate balli (Kannada)
• Karu tamma, Putta tamba, Tsamma kaya, Tumbettan-kaya (Telugu)

Links:

• Flowers of India - Horse Bean
• University of Florida : IFAS Extension - Horse Bean

Image Courtesy of Dinesh Valke.