Caesalpinioideae

Distinguishing characters

Leaves usually bipinnate, paripinn

ate or bifoliolate, rarely simple or 1foliolate, sometimes with specialized glands,
not usually with a tendril (present in a
few Bauhinia spp.).

Flowers usually bilaterally

symmetrical, rarely radially symmetrical,
usually relatively large.

Sepals generally free .

Petals imbricate in bud, the

median petal overlapped by the lateral 4.

Stamens (1-)10(-50), sometimes

dimorphic or heteromorphic,
filaments free or fused at the
base, exserted or included.

Seeds either without a pleurogram

or if pleurogram present then closed.

green leaves are usually evergreen, but

sometimes deciduous in areas near the
edge of its growing range. Each leaf has 5-8
pairs of pinnae and 6-10 pairs of leaflets per
pinna. Flowers are followed by oblong, flat
fruits (seed pods to 2.5-4" long), with each
pod containing 8-10 dark brown to black
seeds which are ejected as the pod splits
open at maturity. This shrub has sharp
prickles along its stems.
Distribution
Native to the West Indies but was
introduced to, and is commonly found in,
Texas, Arizona, California, and Florida.
Uses
Ornamental plant. Decoction or
infusion of leaves, flowers, roots, and bark
were used as purgative and emmenagogue,
an agent for promoting menstruation.
Conservation
This widely distributed species is not
currently of conservation concern.

Caesalpinia pulcherrima
Description

Delonix regia

In frost-free climates it is an
evergreen tree or small shrub that grows to
3-10 in height and width. It is damaged at
32F and killed to the ground at 17F so it
typically grows as a deciduous shrub in
zone 9, and a returning perennial in zone 8.
In the topics it can reach heights of 15-20.
Bowl-shaped 5-petaled flowers (to 2" wide)
bloom spring to fall (year-round in tropical
climates) in 4-8" long terminal racemes (to
40 flowers per raceme) located at the
branch ends. Flowers feature bright orangeyellow petals with contrasting elongated
dark red stamens. Feathery, twice pinnate

Description
Delonix regia is a tree 10-15 (max.
18) m high, attaining a girth of up to 2 m;
trunk large, buttressed and angled towards
the base; bark smooth, greyish-brown,
sometimes slightly cracked and with many
dots (lenticels); inner bark light brown;
crown umbrella shaped, spreading with the
long, nearly horizontal branches forming a
diameter that is wider than the trees height;
twigs stout, greenish, finely hairy when
young, becoming brown. Roots shallow.
Leaves biparipinnate, alternate, light green,

feathery, 20-60 cm long; 10- 25 pairs of

pinnae, 5-12 cm long, each bearing 12-40
pairs of small oblong-obtuse leaflets that are
about 0.5-2 cm long and 0.3 cm wide;
petiole stout. The numerous leaflets are
stalkless, rounded at the base and apex,
entire thin, very minutely hairy on both
sides, green on the upper surface. At the
base of the leaf stalk, there are 2
compressed stipules that have long, narrow,
comblike teeth. Corymbs 15-30 cm long,
borne laterally near the end of the twig,
each with loosely arranged, slightly fragrant
flowers; flowers 5-13 cm across, with 5
equal petals, on slender stalks 5-7.6 cm
long. Petals 5-6.5 cm long, 2-3 cm wide,
orbicular, broadly spoon shaped, rounded
but broader than long, slightly wavymargined or crisp, tapering into claws about
2.5 cm long, widely extended and bending
backwards before falling. Petals 4,
orangered, almost scarlet, 1 longer and
narrower than the others, whitish inside with
red spots and streaks; stalk very long,
slender and hairy. Sepals 5, thick, green
outside and reddish with yellow border
within, reflexed when the flowers open,
pointed, finely hairy, about 2.5 cm long.
Stamens 5 with 10 red filaments; pistil has a
hairy 1-celled ovary about 1.3 cm long and
slender style about 3 cm long. Fruit green
and flaccid when young, turning to dark
brown, hard, woody pods, 30-75 cm long,
3.8 cm thick, 5-7.6 cm broad, ending in a
short beak when mature, with many
horizontally partitioned seed chambers
inside, indehiscent, finally splitting into 2
parts. The conspicuous pods hang down
and remain attached most of the year even
when the trees are leafless. Seeds 30-45,
hard, greyish, glossy, to 2 cm long, oblong
and shaped very much like date seeds,
transversely mottled with a bony testa. They

are arranged at right angles to the length of

the pod.
Distribution
Native to Madagascar and Zambia
Uses
Ornamental plant. Flowers are
reputed to produce bee forage. The large
pods as well as the wood are used for fuel.
The wood of the plant is used in
timber production.
Conservation
Delonix regia is listed as Least
Concern as it has a wide distribution,
sometimes being locally common. There
have been collections made recently, and it
is known from several protected areas. D.
regia does not qualify for a threatened
category based on geographic range (the
extent of occurrence and area of occupancy
are both large), nor is it likely to be declining
fast enough to qualify for a threatened
rating. There is no precise information to
assess the population size and trends of the
species. However, its native habitat the dry
forest, is fragmented and degraded, and
continues to decrease in quality and extent;
these trends should be monitored to
determine whether the population of this
species is declining.

Tamarindus indica
Description
The tamarind, a slow-growing, longlived, massive tree reaches, under favorable
conditions, a height of 80 or even 100 ft (2430 m), and may attain a spread of 40 ft (12
m) and a trunk circumference of 25 ft (7.5

m). It is highly wind-resistant, with strong,

supple branches, gracefully drooping at the
ends, and has dark-gray, rough, fissured
bark. The mass of bright-green, fine,
feathery foliage is composed of pinnate
leaves, 3 to 6 in (7.5-15 cm) in length, each
having 10 to 20 pairs of oblong leaflets 1/2
to 1 in (1.25-2.5 cm) long and 1/5 to 1/4 in
(5-6 mm) wide, which fold at night. The
leaves are normally evergreen but may be
shed briefly in very dry areas during the hot
season. Inconspicuous, inch-wide flowers,
borne in small racemes, are 5-petalled (2
reduced to bristles), yellow with orange or
red streaks. The flowerbuds are distinctly
pink due to the outer color of the 4 sepals
which are shed when the flower opens.
The
fruits,
flattish,
beanlike,
irregularly curved and bulged pods, are
borne in great abundance along the new
branches and usually vary from 2 to 7 in
long and from 3/4 to 1 1/4 in (2-3.2 cm) in
diameter. Exceptionally large tamarinds
have been found on individual trees. The
pods may be cinnamon-brown or grayishbrown externally and, at first, are tenderskinned with green, highly acid flesh and
soft, whitish, under-developed seeds. As
they mature, the pods fill out somewhat and
the juicy, acidulous pulp turns brown or
reddish-brown.
Thereafter,
the
skin
becomes a brittle, easily-cracked shell and
the pulp dehydrates naturally to a sticky
paste enclosed by a few coarse strands of
fiber extending lengthwise from the stalk.
The 1 to 12 fully formed seeds are hard,
glossy-brown, squarish in form, 1/8 to 1/2 in
(1.1-1.25 cm) in diameter, and each is
enclosed in a parchmentlike membrane.

Distribution

Originally from Madagascar, East

Africa and India, today widely distributed
throughout the semi-arid and sub-humid
tropics of Asia and Africa, also cultivated in
Florida, Australia, Central and South
America. Occurs up to 1,500 m of elevation
asl in mountanous areas (e.g. Ethiopia's
Blue Nile valley).
Uses

The fruits should be left to mature on

the tree for a good quality product,
there are various methods of
processing and storage, depending
on the end-product which is sought
e.g. jam, beverage, dressing sauces
(chutneys), condiments, syrups, icecreams etc., or eaten fresh.

Seeds have various uses, icluding

human food and livestock feed.

Flowers are nectariferous providing

abundant and high quality honey.

Wood : sapwood is white to

yellowish sometimes with red
streaks. The heartwood is brown to
purple-brown,
occasionally
with
black stripes in the older trees, wood
is hard heavy (d=0.93 g cm-3);
difficult to work blunting the working
tools, but with good strength and
binding ability; it is used for making
many tools and ustensils, liable to
splitting when drying. Fuel and
charcoal is of high quality.

Medicinal
applications
are
innumerable. Fruit is used as a mild
laxative, for intestinal ailments,
biliary disorders, cardiac ailments,
scurvy, throat infection, as antipoisoning, against leprosy combined
with other products, pounded bark
against skin infection and dressing
of wounds, gall bladder disorders,
haemorrhoids etc.

Amenity plantations, along roads,

river banks, village squares and
backyards.

Conservation
This widely distributed species is not
currently of conservation concern.

equal to or slightly longer thansepals,

shortly clawed. Stamens 10, alternately 5
shorter and 5 longer;anthers opening
by apical pores. Ovary with stiff, appressed
hairs; stigma flat. Legume flat, falcate, 2.5-5
0.5 cm. fruit flat, pubescent pod, about
6cm long and 5mm wide with 12-24 seeds.
Distribution

Chamaecrista mimosoides
Description
Annual or short-lived
perennial
herb,
subshrub or suffrutescent, with woodybase.
Stem
erect,
sometimes
diffuse,
pithy, woody at base, hairless or minutely
hairy orprostrate but more commonly
growing as an erect subshrub. Leaves
Compound and altenate, to 10cm long and
1.5cm wide, petioles always bear a gland
below the bottom pair of leaflets. Leaflets
small, asymmetric and blunt at apex.
Numerous, up to 70 pairs per leaf.
Sometimes
leaves 4-8 cm, with an
orbicular, discoid, sessile gland in upper
part of petiole, below lowest pair of
leaflets; stipules persistent, linear-subulate,
4-7 mm,
with conspicuous longitudinal
veins; rachis not canaliculate, sparsely
pubescent;
leaflets sessile,
20-50(-80)
pairs, reddish brown when dry, linearfalcate, 3-4 1 mm, midvein near upper
margin of blade, very unequally sided, base
obliquely truncate, apex acute, mucronate.
Inflorescence Solitary and axillary with 13 flowers in
an axil on
slender pedicels
about 1cm long. Flower Yellow and
few. Flowers supra-axillary, mostly solitary,
sometimes 2 or 3 together in a very short
raceme; bracts and bracteoles similar
to
stipules but latter smaller.
Sepals
lanceolate, 4-8 mm, apex acute. Petals
bright yellow, unequal, obovate to orbicular,

Widespread in the tropics of Asia, S

China, Africa and S Africa
Uses
The roots are used medicinally for
treating dysentery.
Conservation
This widely distributed species is not
currently of conservation concern.

Bauhinia purpurea
Description
A small to medium-sized deciduous fastgrowing shrub or tree with a round,
symmetrical, moderate dense crown to 10
m tall, young branches becoming glabrous
or nearly so (glabrescent). Leaves simple,
alternate, base rounded to shallow-cordate,
up to 12 cm x 12 cm, deeply 2-lobed at
apex up to 1/3-1/2, ca. 7-12 cm long, and
equally wide, margin entire and the surfaces
smooth and glabrous, and 9- or 11- nerved
at base, the apex lobes rounded or obtuse
to subacute, minute stipules 1-2 mm long,
petioles puberulous to glabrous, 2.5-3.5 cm
long; leaf blades 4.5-11 cm long.
Inflorescence a 6-10-flowered raceme in
terminal panicles; flowers numerous,
hypanthium, turbinate, purple to nearly
white or at least purplemarked, the flower
buds clavate (club-shaped), velvety, ca 3-4

cm long prior to anthesis; fertile stamens 3

or 4, the anthers ca 6 mm long, versatile;
ovary superior; corolla of 5 narrow petals
and constricted at base, oblanceolate, 35cm long, claws 5-10mm long, the banner
purplestriate, ca 7 mm wide; calyx tubular,
erupted by corolla along one side when
flower fully expanding; calyx split into 2
valves with 5 teeth. In fall, before the leaves
drop, Orchid-Tree is festooned with many
showy and delightfully fragrant, five-inchwide blossoms, the narrow purple, pink, and
lavender petals arranged to closely
resemble an orchid. These flowers appear
on the trees from September through
November and are a beautiful sight to see,
creating a vivid splash of color in the
autumn landscape. The flowers are followed
by 12-inch-long, slender, brown, flat seed
pods which usually persist on the tree
throughout the winter. Fruit brown, strapshaped, not septate, elongated dehiscent
pods, ca. 15- 30 cm long, up to 1.5-2.5 cm
wide, containing 10-15- shiny-brown,
glabrous, dehiscent, rounded, flat seeds;
twists as opens. Seed forms very rapidly
and trees in flower may already show
numerous green pods. While most pods will
open in the drier winter weather some may
persist through to the next flowering season.
Fruit maturing in spring and summer. Fruit
does not attract wildlife. Seeds orbicular, 1316mm in diameter, 1-2mm thick.

blackness of lip or tongue. Bark acts as an

astringent in diarrhoea; its decoction is used
as a wash in ulcers. The roots are
carminative and the flowers laxative.
Conservation
Has a wide natural distribution range
and has been introduced worldwide. At
present there are no major known threats to
this species and the population is believed
to be stable, hence it is rated as Least
Concern.
References:

Distribution
Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India,
Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar,
Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Taiwan,
Province of China, Thailand

Uses

The plant is used in dropsy, pain,

rheumatism, thigh swelling, convulsion,
delirium febris, Datura intoxication and

Akobundu I.O. and Agyakwa C.W

(1998): a Handbook of West African
Weeds.
International
Institute
of Tropical Agriculture,
Ibadan,
Nigeria.294p.
Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T. and
Ballings, P. (2012). Flora of
Zimbabwe: Species information:
Chamaecrista mimosoides.
Orwa C, A Mutua, Kindt R ,
Jamnadass R, S Anthony. 2009
Agroforestree
Database:a
tree
reference and selection guide
version
4.0.
Retrieved
at
http://www.worldagroforestry.org/site
s/treedbs/treedatabases.asp
Contu, S. 2012. Bauhinia purpurea.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened
Species 2012: e.T19891953A20027
617.http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.
UK.2012.RLTS.T19891953A200276
17.en.
Rivers, M. 2014. Delonix regia. The
IUCN Red List of Threatened
Species 2014: e.T32947A2828337. .
http://www.fao.org/Ag/agp/agpc/doc/
gbase/data/Pf000172.HTM
http://www.howdogardener.com/plan
ting-guides/flowers-andshrubs/caesalpinia-pulcherrima

http://www.kew.org/scienceconservation/plantsfungi/tamarindus-indica-tamarind

http://www.worldagroforestry.org/tree
db/AFTPDFS/Delonix_regia.PDF