Home | > | List of cultivated families | > | Fabaceae subfamily Caesalpinioideae | > | Cassia | > | abbreviata |
Synonyms: |
Cassia abbreviata Oliv. var. granitica (Baker f.) Baker f. Cassia granitica Baker f. |
Common names: | Isihaqa (Ndebele) Long-tail cassia (English) Muremberembe (Shona) Muvheneka (Shona) Sjambok pod (English) |
Description: | Shrub or small rounded tree. Bark greyish-brown, longitudinally furrowed. Leaves paripinnate without any glands on the rhachis or petiole; leaflets in 7-12 pairs, hairy on the under surface, particularly when young (see note below), ovate-elliptic with a rounded apex. Flowers in large, lax, terminal sprays, yellow, appearing before the leaves. Fruit a long cylindric brown pod, up to 90 cm, which remains on the tree for many months. |
Notes: | Two subspecies occur widespread in the region. They are distinguished by the type of hairs on the undersurface of the leaflets. Subsp. beareana has straight appressed hairs, while subsp. abbreviata has loose, somewhat curly hairs. It is often very difficult to distinguish the two in the field. |
Derivation of specific name: | abbreviata: shortened |
Flowering time: | Sep - Oct |
Worldwide distribution: | From East Africa southwards to Limpopo and Mpumalanga, South Africa. |
Growth form(s): | Tree. |
Insects associated with this species: | Rhodogastria amasis (Food plant) Gynanisa maja (Larval foodplant) Grammodora nigrolineata (Larval foodplant) |
Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
Image last updated: | Saturday 10 March 2007 |
Literature: |
Coates Palgrave, K. et al. (1956). Trees of Central Africa National Publications Trust, Salisbury. Pages 93 - 96. (Includes a picture). Drummond, R.B. (1981). Common Trees of the Central Watershed Woodlands of Zimbabwe. Natural Resources Board, Harare. Pages 76 - 77. (Includes a picture). Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 43. As Cassia abrbreviata var abbreviata and var. beareana Steedman, E.C. (1933). Some Trees, Shrubs and Lianes of Southern Rhodesia. Page 21. Cassia granitica (Includes a picture). |
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