| Senna auriculata | |
|---|---|
 | |
| At Sindhrot near Vadodara, Gujarat | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Caesalpinioideae |
| Genus: | Senna |
| Species: | S. auriculata |
| Binomial name | |
| Senna auriculata | |
| Synonyms | |
Cassia auriculataL. | |
Senna auriculata is aleguminoustree in thesubfamilyCaesalpinioideae. It is commonly known by its local namesmatura tea tree,avaram orranawara, (Kannada:ಆವರಿಕೆāvarike,Marathi: तरवड,Malayalam: ആവര,Sinhala:රණවරාranawarā,Telugu:తంగేడుtaṃgēḍu,Tamil:ஆவாரைāvārai) or theEnglish versionavaram senna. It is theState flower of Indian state ofTelangana.[1]It occurs in the dry regions ofIndia andSri Lanka. It is common along the sea coast and the dry zone in Sri Lanka.
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Avaram senna is a much branched shrub with smooth cinnamon brown bark and closely pubescent branchlets.
The leaves are alternate, stipulate,paripinnate compound, very numerous, closely placed,rachis 8.8-12.5 cm long, narrowly furrowed, slender,pubescent, with an erect linear gland between the leaflets of each pair, leaflets 16-24, very shortly stalked 2-2.5 cm long 1-1.3 cm broad, slightly overlapping, oval oblong, obtuse, at both ends,mucronate,glabrous or minutely downy, dull green, paler beneath,stipules very large, reniform-rotund, produced at base on side of nextpetiole into afiliform point and persistent.
Its flowers are irregular,monoicous, bright yellow and large (nearly 5 cm across), thepedicelsglabrous and 2.5 cm long. Theracemes are few-flowered, short, erect, crowded inaxils of upper leaves so as to form a large terminalinflorescencestamens barren; the ovary is superior,unilocular, with marginal ovules.
The fruit is a shortlegume, 7.5-11 cm long, 1.5 cm broad, oblong, obtuse, tipped with long style base, flat, thin, papery, undulately crimpled, pilose, pale brown. 12-20 seeds per fruit are carried each in its separate cavity.
Senna auriculata is suitable for landscaping roadways and home gardens. It tolerates drought and dry conditions, but not much cold. The flowers in racemes are also attractive.[3]
This plant has been reported to treathyperglycemia and associatedhyperlipidemia[4]
This plant is said to contain acardiacglucoside (sennapicrin) and sap, leaves and bark yieldanthraquinones, while the latter containstannins.[2]
The root is used indecoctions againstfevers,diabetes, diseases ofurinary system andconstipation. The leaves havelaxative properties. Tea made from dried flowers and flower buds is consumed bydiabetes patients instead of regular tea. It is also believed to improve complexion. Powdered seeds are used against diabetes, they are also applied to the eye to treat chronicpurulentconjunctivitis. In Africa, the bark and seeds are said to help againstrheumatism, eye diseases,gonorrhea, diabetes, andgout.[2]
This plant hasantibacterial properties.[5]