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Candle bush (Senna alata)

Dlium Candle bush (Senna alata)

Candlebush (Senna alata) is plant species in Fabaceae, erect shrubs, important medicinal trees and ornamental flowering plants. This extraordinary plant grows to an altitude of 1,200 meters and can be found in various habitats, but is generally fertile on wet soil.

S. alata is a shrub that stands 3-4 meters tall with a leaf length of 50-80 cm. The stem has brown skin, young stems are dark green, the leaves are dark green and inflorescence looks like a yellow candle container. This species grows easily from seeds distributed by water or animals.





The fruit is straight, up to 25 cm long and dark green. Pods containing 50-60 seeds, almost straight, dark brown or almost black, about 15 centimeters long and 15 millimeters wide. On both sides of the pod are wings that stretch along the path.

The leaves are pounded and mixed with a number of vegetable oils to rub on the site for two or three times a day. Active ingredients include yellow chrysophanic acid and anthraquinone.

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae
Tribe: Cassieae
Subtribe: Cassiinae
Genus: Senna Mill. in Gard. Dict. Abr., ed. 4.: [s.p.] (1754)
Species: Senna alata (L.) Roxb. in Fl. Ind., ed. 1832. 2: 349 (1832)

HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS

Cassia alata L. in Sp. Pl.: 378 (1753)
Cassia herpetica Jacq. in Observ. Bot. 2: 24 (1767)
Herpetica alata (L.) Raf. in Sylva Tellur.: 123 (1838)

HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS

Cassia alata var. perennis Pamp. in Nuovo Giorn. Bot. Ital., n.s., 14: 595 (1907)
Cassia alata var. rumphiana DC. in Prodr. 2: 492 (1825)
Cassia arayatensis Náves ex Fern.-Vill. in F.M.Blanco, Fl. Filip., ed. 3. 4(13A): 71 (1880)
Cassia bracteata L.f. in Suppl. Pl.: 232 (1782)
Herpetica rumphiana (DC.) J.Presl in Wšeobecný Rostl. 1: 457 (1846)

PUBLICATIONS

Barua, K.N. & Khatry, P.K. (2009). Alien forest weeds in upper Brahmaputra valler and hill zones of Assam. Journal of Economic and Taxonomic Botany 33: 414-422.

Evenhuis, N.L. & Eldredge, L.G. (eds.) (2012). Records of the Hawaii biological survey for 2011. Part II: plants. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 113: 1-102.

Ghazanfar, S.A. (2007). Flora of the Sultanate of Oman. volume 2. Crassulaceae - Apiaceae. Scripta Botanica Belgica 36: 1-220.

Kumar, S. & Sane, P.V. (2003). Legumes of South Asia. A Checklist: 1-536. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Lepschi, B. & Monro, A. (Project Coordinators) (2014). Australian Plant Census (APC) Council of Heads of Australian Herbaria.

Lock, J.M. & Ford, C.S. (2004). Legumes of Malesia a Check-List: 1-295. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Lock, J.M. & Heald, J. (1994). Legumes of Indo-China a check-list: 1-164. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Meena, S.L. (2012). A checklist of the vascular plants of Banaskantha district, Gujarat, India. Nelumbo 54: 39-91.

Pandey, R.P. (2009). Floristic diversity of Ferrargunj forest area in South Andaman. Journal of Economic and Taxonomic Botany 33: 747-768.

Plunkett, G.M., Ranker, T.A., Sam, C. & Balick, M.J. (2022). Towards a checklist of the vascular flora of Vanuatu. Candollea 77: 105-118.

Sanjappa, M., Pusalkar, P.K. & Mao, A.A. (eds.) (2024). Flora of India 6: 1-556. Botanical Survey of India.

Smith, A.C. (1985). Flora Vitiensis Nova. A new flora for Fiji (Spermatophytes only) 3: 1-758. Pacific Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai.

Suzuki, M., Taufatofua, P. & Koyama, T. (2007). New records of plants from Tonga. Makinoa, n.s., 6: 25-62.

Whistler, W.A. (2022). Flora of Samoa Flowering Plants: 1-930. National Tropical Botanicl Garden. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

Wu, Z. & Raven, P.H. (eds.) (2010). Flora of China 10: 1-642. Science Press (Beijing) & Missouri Botanical Garden Press (St. Louis).

Zhu, X.Y., Zhang, R.P. & He, Y.L. (eds.) (2021). An inventory of legume species diversity of Myanmar: 1-297. China Minzu university press.

VERNACULAR NAME

Busang: Ura'kap
English: Candlebush, Candlestick Plant, Candelabra Bush
Halmahera Utara: Saya mara, Haya mara
Indonesian: Ketepeng Kerbau, Ketepeng Cina
Java: Ketepeng cina, Ketepeng kebo
Madura: Acon-aconan
Melayu: Daun kupang, Ketepeng, Daun kurap, Gelenggang, Kupang-kupang
Paser: Gelinggang
Sunda: Ki manila, Ketepang badak
Ternate: Kupang-kupang
Tidore: Tabankung
Pijin: bakuatri
Portuguese: Candelabro, Dartrial, Fedegoso-gigante, Manjerioba-do-pará, Manjerioba-grande, Maria-preta, Mata-pasto, Mata-pasto-do-brejo
Russian: Сенна крылатая
Sinhala: ඇත් තෝර
Spanish: Mazorquilla
Sunda: Ki manila, Ketepang badak
Ternate: Kupang-kupang
Thai: ชุมเห็ดเทศ
Tidore: Tabankun

Aryo Bandoro
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