Cassia sieberiana
Cassia sieberiana
Safety & Hazards
The roots and seeds are used as fish poison in Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria[1].
Cultivation Details
A plant of drier areas of the tropics, thriving best in savannah areas with an annual rainfall of 800mm or less[1]. Prefers a deep, well-drained, moderately fertile sandy loam and a position in full sun[2]. Plants grow best in an acid, sandy soil[1]. The plant responds well to coppicing[3]. The tree is one of the constituents of the vegetation of fallow fields in the Sahel, but unlike some species, such as the African locust bean (Parkia biglobosa), and shea butter tree (Vitellaria paradoxa), it is eradicated during clearing[1]. Although it is a legume, the roots of this species lack nodulating ability and do not fix atmospheric nitrogen[1].
Propagation
Seed - when fresh seed is sown there is almost 100% germination[1]. Older seed needs to be treated before sowing by soaking in warm water for 12 - 24 hours or by sulphuric acid stratification[1]. Passage of seeds through cattle intestines also hastens germination[1]. Marcotting and side-grafting are feasible for vegetative multiplication. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Cassia+sieberiana>
Pollinators
Insects
References
- [1]Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. — http://www.prota.org ↩︎An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
- [2]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
- [3]Trees and Shrubs of the Sahel. Their Characteristics and Uses. — von Maydell H. · Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit; Germany · 1990 · ISBN 3-8236-1198-4 ↩︎A well-researched book, usually with more than one photograph of each species and good information on the plant and its uses.
- [4]African Flowering Plants Database — Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques. · http://www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/bd/cjb/africa/recherche.php ↩︎Contains information on over 150,000 plant names (including synonyms) giving a description and habitat, plus a distribution map.