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Senna surattensis
Tree profile

Senna surattensis

Scrambled Egg Bush, Kolomona, Scrambled Egg Tree, Glossy Shower, Golden Senna, Glaucous Cassia, Sunshine Tree, Bushy Cassia, Gelenggang, Kalamona

FamilyFabaceae (Leguminosae)Plant formTreeGallery6 photos
Description

Evergreen shrub can grow up to 4 m high, becoming a small tree.
BARK: Grayish brown, smooth
LEAVES: Even-pinnate green leaves with 6 - 9 pairs of leaflets, alternate, petioles measuring about 1.5 - 3 cm long, leaf measuring about 18 cm long, leaflets in pairs and usually obovate to oblong, measuring about 2.5 - 4 cm long and 1 - 1.7 cm wide, upper surface glabrous and lower surface slightly pubescent.
FLOWERS: 10 to 15 yellow flowers in a raceme from the upper leaf axils, measuring about 3 - 6 cm long, peduncle measuring about 2.5 - 5 cm long.
FRUITS:  a flat pod, glabrous with papery valves, measuring about 7 - 10 cm long and 1 - 1.5 cm wide, contains about 15 - 25 seeds, glossy flattened and each seed measuring about 8 mm long and 4 mm wide.

Uses

Edible: Young leaves. http://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php id=Senna+surattensis
Medicine: Roots, leaves, flowers. http://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php id=Senna+surattensis
Agroforestry: Often interplanted in young teak plantations and used as a shade tree, often used as a hedge plant.
An ornamental tree.

Ecology

Native to Tropical Asia. It is now commonly planted in many tropical countries. It’s usually a habitat of teak forests and marshy soils, at elevations up to 300 metres. Although many species within the family Fabaceae have a symbiotic relationship with soil bacteria, this species is said to be devoid of such a relationship and therefore does not fix atmospheric nitrogen. S . surattensis has escaped from cultivation to roadsides, pastures, and waste places at lower altitudes and is quite common in urban and semi-urban areas. It grows well in moist Soils, well-drained soils, fertile loamy soils. In Kampala, this tree can be found within Makerere University.

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