Senna alata

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Senna alata
Senna alata

Senna alata

Systematics
Order : Fabales (Fabales)
Family : Legumes (Fabaceae)
Subfamily : Carob family (Caesalpinioideae)
Tribe : Cassieae
Genre : Senna
Type : Senna alata
Scientific name
Senna alata
( L. ) Roxb.

Senna alata ( Syn. : Cassia alata L.) is a shrub from the family of the Leguminosae (Fabaceae). Originally from South America , it iscultivatedas an ornamental and medicinal plant and is nownaturalizedthroughout the tropics .

description

Vegetative characteristics

Senna alata is a spreading, 1–4 (–5) m high shrub with strong, stem-round, finely downy-haired to almost bare branches and alternate , simply paired pinnate leaves . The triangular-lanceolate stipules are 6-16 mm long, formed by their wrong ansitz due cause semi stem comprehensive ears and usually stay for a long time. The petiole -round, relatively short, 2–4 cm long petiole consists largely of a basal 1–3.5 cm long, paler-colored pulvinus . The (15–) 30–70 cm long leaves have a flattened and edged, finely downy-haired rachis that is somewhat nodular and articulated at the attachment points of the leaflets . It ends in a 2.5-4.5 mm long, leaf-like, downwardly bent back and folded appendage. In contrast to many other species of the genus Senna , the petiole and rhachis have no nectar glands . The leaf blade is composed of (5–) 7–14 (–20) pairs of leaflets , which increase in size towards the leaf tip. The (1–) 2 (–3) mm long stalked, entire, on both sides almost bare, underneath matt leaflets are broadly obovate to oblong-elliptical or the lowest are sometimes ovate. They are (5–) 7–19 cm long and 3–9.5 cm wide. The leaflets are rounded at the front and briefly pointed, sometimes also truncated to edged, rounded to almost truncated at the base with a crooked, unequal attachment.

Generative characteristics

Senna alata , inflorescence

The inflorescences are axillary or terminal, 6.5–30 cm long stalked grapes with a downy hairy main axis. The strong, compact before blooming and later elongating grapes are 15–60 cm long and 3–4 cm wide. They consist of about 20–40 hermaphrodite flowers . These are stalked 5–11 mm long. Their ovate or elongated, 2–3 cm long and 1–2 cm wide bracts are usually orange in color and finely hairy. They cover the flower buds like roof tiles until they bloom and fall off before they fully bloom. Pre-leaves are missing.

The yellow-colored flower cover sits on a short, cup-shaped flower base . The five free, slightly different, roof-tile covering sepals are elongated, 10–16 (–20) mm long and 6–8 mm wide. They are finely veined and have short, downy hairs to almost bald. The five free, somewhat unevenly large, bald petals are ovate-rounded to obverse-shaped or spatulate and have a short nail . They are 15–23 mm long and 10–15 mm wide. The petals are bright yellow in color, with distinct, somewhat darker nerves. The ten bare stamens that are not grown together are very different in shape. The three lowest are the largest. Of these, the central one on a 6-7 mm long stamen has an approximately 4 mm long, obliquely beaten, slightly arrow-shaped anthers at the base. The two lateral anthers have a 2–3 (–4) mm long stamen with a 9.5–13 mm long, sickle-shaped, curved anthers with a short oblique beak at the tip. Each of its two unequal counters is elongated at the base into an awkward point. The four middle stamens have a 3–5 mm long anthers on an approx. 2 mm long stamen, which is similar to that of the lower central stamen. The lower and middle anthers open at the top with two pores. The three upper stamens are reduced, with a 1–3 mm long sterile anthers on a 1–2 mm long stamen. The anthers are basifix, i.e. attached to the stamens at their base. The upper gynoeceum , consisting of a single, curved carpel , is shorter than the petals. It is usually dense, fine downy hairs and contains 44–58 ovules . The 4-5.5 mm long stylus has a small scar at the tip .

The fruits are straight, broadly linear, flattened pods that open after a delay. In the middle of the paper-like, black, ± bare fruit flaps, they each have a 4–9 mm wide, notched wing lengthways and are therefore square. They are double keeled at the two seams. The pods are 10-18 cm long and including the wings up to 2.8 cm wide. They are septate inside between the approximately fifty transverse seeds . The seeds are flattened, rhombic, 7-10 mm long and 5-8 mm wide. They have a matt, padded surface.

Senna alata flowers and produces fruit in the dry season, for example in Central America from November to April or May, in northern Australia from June to November.

Chromosomes

When Senna alata different are chromosome numbers known. There were haploid sets of chromosomes with n = 12 and n = 14 respectively diploid with 2n = 24 and found 2n = 28th

Senna alata in the floodplain of a stream in Costa Rica

distribution and habitat

Senna alata has its original occurrence in South America, in the catchment area of ​​the Orinoco and the Amazon . Since it is cultivated as an ornamental and medicinal plant far beyond its area of ​​origin, it has meanwhile been able to establish and naturalize itself in all tropical and subtropical regions outside of gardens.

The species mainly colonizes the cultivated land, but is also found on river banks, in savannah-like floodplain, in sparse forests and on dry slopes. The sea level distribution is different, for Nicaragua 30–120 m are given, for Indochina up to 1500 m. Most of the deposits are in any case in the tropical lowlands.

Taxonomy and systematics

The type was in 1753 by Linnaeus as Cassia alata in the genus Kassien described . The most important basis for this was a description from the Hortus Cliffortianus , an earlier work by Linnaeus. Linné also cited earlier designations by Charles Plumier and Maria Sibylla Merian . William Roxburgh placed the species in the genus Senna in 1832 . However, Senna's independence was subsequently not accepted. It was not until the early 1980s that the two American botanists Howard Samuel Irwin and Rupert Charles Barneby helped the genera Senna and Chamaecrista to break away from Cassia . In addition, Senna alata is available under the name Herpetica alata (L.) Raf. the type species of its own, but today not recognized genus Herpetica ( DC. ) Raf. Further synonyms are Cassia bracteata L.f. , Cassia herpetica Jacq. and Cassia rumphiana (DC.) Bojer (= Herpetica rumphiana (DC.) J. Presl ).

etymology

The specific epithet alata ( Latin for winged ) is derived from Latin ala ( wing ) and refers to the winged legumes of this species. The generic name Senna refers to the species named by Linné Cassia senna Senna alexandrina , which contains the " Senna leaves", a well-known laxative , supplies. The name can probably be traced back to the Arabic word sannā (to facilitate ), which describes the medicinal properties of this drug .

Use as a medicinal plant

For Indochina it is stated that a decoction of the leaves is used against various skin diseases and in steam baths for childbirths. The branches are used for febrile diseases in Laos , and the roots are considered laxative. The uses mentioned above are also documented for West Africa.

swell

  • Barneby RC 2001: Senna Mill. In: Stevens WD, Ulloa Ulloa C., Pool A., Montiel OM (Eds.): Flora de Nicaragua. Vol. 1: Introducción, gimnospermas y angiospermas (Acanthaceae – Euphorbiaceae). (Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 85). Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis, ISBN 0-915279-95-9 . - Senna alata - Online
  • Helmut Genaust: Etymological dictionary of botanical plant names. 3rd, completely revised and expanded edition. Birkhäuser, Basel / Boston / Berlin 1996, ISBN 3-7643-2390-6 .
  • Larsen K., Larsen SS, Vidal JE 1980: Leguminosae (Fabaceae), Caesalpinioideae. In: Flore du Cambodge, du Laos et du Viêt-Nam. Fasc. 18. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, ISBN 2-85654-158-5 , 227 pp.
  • Randell BR, Barlow BA 1998: Senna. In: Flora of Australia. Vol. 12: Mimosaceae (excl. Acacia), Caesalpiniaceae. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne, ISBN 0-643-06298-X (hardcover) or ISBN 0-643-06299-8 (softcover), pp. 89-138. - online
  • Woodson RE, Schery RW 1951: Leguminosae. Subfamily Caesalpinioideae (Caesalpiniaceae of many authors). In: Flora of Panama. Part V, Fasc. 3. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 38: 1-94. - online

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Barneby RC 2001 . - online
  2. ↑ a b Randell BR, Barlow BA 1998 , p. 127. - Online
  3. ^ Goldblatt P., & Johnson DE (Ed.): Senna alata. In: Tropicos.org: Index to Plant Chromosome Numbers (IPCN). Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, accessed November 29, 2012 .
  4. ^ Goldblatt P., & Johnson DE (Eds.): Cassia alata. In: Tropicos.org: Index to Plant Chromosome Numbers (IPCN). Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, accessed November 29, 2012 .
  5. ^ A b Larsen K., Larsen SS, Vidal JE 1980 , p. 86.
  6. ↑ Linnaeus C. 1753: Species Plantarum . Tomus I. Stockholm, p. 378. - Online
  7. ^ Roxburgh W. 1832: Flora indica; or, descriptions of Indian plants. Vol. II. Serampore, p. 349. - Online
  8. ↑ Irwin H. S, Barneby RC 1982: The American Cassiinae. Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden 35: 1-918.
  9. ^ Farr ER, Zijlstra G. (Ed.): Herpetica. In: Index Nominum Genericorum (Plantarum). Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, 1996, accessed November 29, 2012 .
  10. ^ Merrill ED 1950: Unlisted technical plant names in the published works of L. Oken (1841) and JS Presl (1846). Journal of the Arnold Arboretum 31: 264-287. - online
  11. ^ Senna alata. In: The Plant List. 2010, accessed November 29, 2012 .
  12. ↑ Genaust H. 1996 , p. 48. - Preview in the Google book search
  13. ↑ Genaust H. 1996 , p. 577. - Preview in the Google book search
  14. ↑ Ake Assi L., G. Guinko 1991: Plants used in traditional medicine in West Africa. Editions Roche, Basel, ISBN 3-907946-59-6 , 151 pp.

Web links

Commons : Senna alata  - album with pictures, videos and audio files