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Kassod tree (Senna siamea)

Johar or kassod tree (Senna siamea) is a plant species in Fabaceae, a 2-30 m tall tree with straight and short trunks, the shadows rarely exceed 50 cm, brownish-gray bark on young branches, branching widens to form a dense canopy and rounded.

S. siamea has even pinnate leaves, 10-35 cm long with round stems, 1.5-3.5 cm long with shallow grooves in the middle and shaft without glands. Leaves support tapered small, 1 mm and easily fall out.

Dlium Kassod tree (Senna siamea)

Minor leaves have 4-16 pairs, somewhat warm, oval to round eggs, base and tip rounded or dull, bald, shiny upper surface and lower surface have fine hair.

Flowers are collected in panicles at the tips of branches, 15-60 cm long, have 10-60 buds divided into several panicles. The flower has 5 petals, rounded oval, 4-9 mm, thick and fine haired.

Bright yellow crown, 5 strands, bald, inverted egg round, flag with 1-2 mm long nails. Ten stamens to a length of 1 cm or more are the same length as the ovaries and pistil stems.

Flat-shaped pods, 15-30 cm long, 12-16 mm wide, 20-30 seeds with a thickened edge and at the end of the exposure. Egg-shaped seeds, flat, 6.5-8 mm long, 6 mm wide, light brown and glossy.





Kassod tree grows well in tropical lowlands with monsoon climate, rainfall between 500-1000 mm/year, 20-31C, deep and fertile soils with a pH of 5.5-7.5. This plant can not stand the cold, freezing and above the altitude of 1300 m.

Johar is often planted in agroforestry as well as intercrops, marginal plants, wind barrier, shade plants for tea, coffee and cocoa. Often planted as roadside shade trees, ornamental trees in parks and rehabilitating mining areas.

Hard and heavy wood for B.J. 0.6-1.01 at 15% moisture content. Whitish sapwood and terrace dark brown to black with yellowish patches. Terrace wood has a durable class I and a strong class I-II for making bridges and poles. Beautiful colors and motifs are popular for making furniture and decorative panels.

Young leaves and flowers are boiled and water replaced several times used as a vegetable dish. Young leaves, flowers and pods for ruminant feed, but alkaloids are toxic to non-ruminants including pigs and poultry

Bark, leaves and fruit produce tanners. Simplisia used for medicine uses leaves, root bark and seeds. The root is used to treat intestinal worms and convulsions in children. Wood for laxative and treat scabies. Leaves as a drug for malaria, reduce blood glucose and skin diseases.

The leaves and other parts contain antrakinona, antrona, flavona, various triterpenoids, alkaloids and cassiadimine. Root bark contains lupeol, betalin and diantrakinon. Seeds contain fat and sitosterin.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae
Tribe: Cassieae
Genus: Senna
Species: Senna siamea

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