''Senna siamea'', also known as Siamese cassia, kassod tree, cassod tree and cassia tree, is a

legume A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock f ...

in the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

Caesalpinioideae Caesalpinioideae is a botanical name at the rank of subfamily, placed in the large family Fabaceae or Leguminosae. Its name is formed from the generic name ''Caesalpinia''. It is known also as the peacock flower subfamily. The Caesalpinioideae ...

. It is native to

South South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...

and

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

, although its exact origin is unknown. It is a medium-size, evergreen tree growing up to with yellow flowers. It is often used as shade tree in cocoa, coffee and tea plantations. In

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

it is the provincial tree of

Chaiyaphum Province Chaiyaphum ( th, ชัยภูมิ, ) is one of Thailand's seventy-six provinces (''changwat''), located in central northeastern Thailand , also called Isan. Neighboring provinces are (from north clockwise) Khon Kaen, Nakhon Ratchasima, Lopb ...

and some places in the country are named after it. Leaves are alternate, pinnately compound, with slender, green-reddish, tinged axis and 6 to 12 pairs of leaflets on short stalks, rounded at both ends.

Uses

This plant has medicinal value and it contains a compound named barakol. The leaves, tender pods and seeds are edible, but they must be previously boiled and the water discarded. They are used in Burmese and also in

Thai cuisine Thai cuisine ( th, อาหารไทย, , ) is the national cuisine of Thailand. Thai cooking places emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with strong Odor, aromatic components and a spicy edge. Australian chef David Thompson (chef), David ...

where one of the most well-known preparations is ''kaeng khilek'' ( th, แกงขี้เหล็ก). In Burmese tradition, during the full moon day of

Tazaungmon Tazaungmon ( my, တန်ဆောင်မုန်း; also spelt Tazaungmone) is the eighth month of the traditional Burmese calendar. Festivals and observances * Kahtein (Thadingyut - Tazaungmon) *Full moon of Tazaungmon ** Tazaungdaing Fest ...

, Burmese families pick Siamese cassia buds and prepare it in a salad called '' mezali phu thoke'' (မယ်ဇလီဖူးသုပ်) or in a soup. Other uses include as

fodder Fodder (), also called provender (), is any agriculture, agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock, such as cattle, domestic rabbit, rabbits, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. "Fodder" refers particularly to food g ...

plant, in intercropping systems, windbreaks, and shelter belts. As a hardwood, it is used for ornamentation on instruments (ukuleles and guitars) and decorative products. In this capacity it is known as pheasantwood or ''polohala'', named for the similarity of the grain to pheasant feathers. It is sometimes used in Chinese furniture (known as ''jichimu'') interchangeably with wood from the ''Ormosia'' species.http://www.chinese-furniture.com/cgi-bin/ccf.cgi?stt=stp&pgn=c_furniture/m_jichimu.html

Vernacular names

* my, မယ်ဇလီ, ''mezali'' * th, ขี้เหล็ก, ''khilek'' * vi, muồng đen *Twi: Nkyedua *Ewe: Zangara gbe

References

External links

FAO - Senna siamea (Lam.) Irwin & Barneby
{{Authority control siamea Flora of Indo-China Trees of Thailand Trees of Vietnam Thai cuisine Taxa named by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck Asian vegetables Plants described in 1785

Uses

Vernacular names

See also

References

External links