Cassia fistula L.
| Kannada Name : | Kakke mara |
| Common Name : | Indian Laburnum |
| Family Name : | Fabaceae |
| Scientific Name : | Cassia fistula |
| Species Type : | Indigenous |
| Phenology : | Deciduous |
| Conservation Status : | Not known |
| Flowering Period : | April - July |
| Fruiting Period : | October - March |
| Origin : | Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia |
Uses
The ripe pods and seeds are widely used in both traditional and conventional medicine as a laxative. The bark or leaves are widely applied to skin problems. Broken bones and tropical ulcers are bandaged with bark scrapings and leaf sap.
Description
It is a medium-sized, deciduous tree, 10–20 m tall. Bark smooth when young, later dark and rough. Leaves paripinnate, alternate, 3-6 pairs of leaflets, leaflets opposite, oblong-broadly obovate, glabrous above, pubescent below, base cuneate, apex acute, margin entire. The leaves are Deciduous and pinnate with three to eight pairs of leaflets. Inflorescence a pendulous raceme 20–40 cm long. Flower bisexual, golden-yellow. Fruit a pod, oblong, black when ripe, indehiscent, 40–60 cm, seeds numerous.
