CSIR-NEERI Biodiversity Portal

KASSOD

Cassia siamea

Botanical name	: Cassia siamea
Synonym	: Senna siamea (Lamk.)
Vernacular name	: kassod
Family	: Fabaceae (Caesalpinioideae)
About the Tree	: A middle sized, Fast-growing perennial deciduous evergreen tree with a dense, spreading crown and bears large, attractive bunches of yellow flowers. It is indigenous to Southeast Asia from Indonesia to Sri Lanka.(native to India)
Height	: 20 m in height
Bark	: Trunk Up to 30 cm in diameter. Bark is light grey in colour and become cracked and rough.
Leaf	: Leaves are alternate, pinnately compound 23-33 cm long with upto 6-12 pairs of dark green leaflets with blunt tips on short stalks of 3 mm, oblong, 3-7 cm long, 12-20 mm wide, rounded at both ends, with tiny bristle
Flower	: Flowers pale yellow in colour arranged in large clusters at branch ends having 5 unequal petals and 10 stamens of different sizes
Fruits	: Fruit is flattish narrow pod, 5-25 cm long, The pods feel minutely furry. Young pods are often tanned deep magenta on sun facing side and pale green on side facing away. Dehiscent, with septae between the numerous seeds; seeds are bean shaped, shiny, dark brown, 8 mm long, with distinct areole.
Season	: Leaves start to fall in late January and new leaf appears in late March or early April. Flowers in two distinct peaks, the major one after the rains lasting into December, a shorter one in May. Fruit ripen towards late February.
Medicinal Properties	: The roots are used to treat intestinal worms. The heartwood is said to be a laxative, and in Cambodia a decoction is used against scabies.
Peculiar Character	: Mentioned as a possible agro forestry species. C. siamea is often planted as an ornamental, for its abundant yellow flowers.