Senna tora

This page is about the Cassia tora described by Linnaeus. Later authors usually applied the taxon to Senna obtusifolia.
Senna tora
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae
Tribe: Cassieae
Subtribe: Cassiinae
Genus: Senna
Species: S. tora
Binomial name
Senna tora
(L.) Roxb.
Synonyms

Numerous, see text

Senna tora (originally described by Linné as Cassia tora) is a legume in the subfamily Caesalpinioideae. Its name has been derived from Sinhala language, in which it is called Tora (තෝර). In Sri Lanka it is easily found in many places. It grows wild in most of the tropics and is considered a weed in many places; its native range is not well known but probably South Asia. It is often confused with Chinese senna or sicklepod, Senna obtusifolia. If it is given a distinct common name at all, it is called sickle wild sensitive-plant[1] or sickle senna.[2]

Use

This herb is used in Ayurveda for treatment of swellings. In some parts of Sri Lanka, people add its flowers in food.

Synonyms

The taxonomic history of this plant is extremely confused, even by the standards of Senna and Cassia. S. tora and S. obtusifolia were for long and are often still held to be—and may eventually be verified as—a single species. Hence, taxa referring to either species were indiscriminately applied to both.[3]

Apparently a misprint for Cassia humilis, which would have been applied to this species in error as it is properly a synonym of Senna obtusifolia and Chamaecrista kunthiana, depending on the author.
As discussed above, the Cassia tora of other authors refers to Senna obtusifolia
Cassia tora L. var. b, var. humilis, and var. obtusifolia all refer to Senna obtusifolia

Habitat

The seeds can be found in forest and tribal area of India, Sri Lanka, China and other Asian countries.

Footnotes

  1. NatureServe (2007)
  2. "Senna tora". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  3. ILDIS (2005)

References


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, March 13, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.