Senna occidentalis explained

Senna occidentalis, commonly known as coffee senna, styptic weed,[1] or septicweed, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is native to the southern United States of America, Mexico and South America. It is a shrub with pinnate leaves, with three to seven pairs of broadly elliptic to egg-shaped leaflets, and yellow flowers arranged in groups of two to four, with six fertile stamens in each flower. It is an aggressive, pantropical weed.

Description

Senna occidentalis is a foetid shrub that typically grows to a height of and has softly-hairy branches and stems. Its leaves are pinnate, long on a petiole long, with three to seven pairs of broadly elliptic to egg-shaped leaflets long and wide, spaced apart. There is a sessile glands near the base of the petiole.[2]

The flowers are yellow and arranged on the ends of branchlets and in upper leaf axils in groups of two to four on a peduncle long, each flower on a pedicel long. The petals are up to long and there are six fertile stamens, the anthers varying in length from long, and four staminodes. Flowering occurs all year, and the fruit is a cylindrical pod long, about wide and slightly curved.

Taxonomy

This species was first formally described in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus who gave it the name Cassia occidentalis in Species Plantarum from specimens collected in Jamaica.[3] [4] In 1829, Link transferred the species to the genus Senna as S. occidentalis in his Handbuch zur Erkennung der nutzbarsten und am häufigsten vorkommenden Gewachse.[5] [6] The specific epithet (occidentalis) means "western".[7]

Distribution and habitat

Coffee senna is native to the southern United States of America, Mexico and South America, but is an aggressive, pantropical weed. In Australia it is widespread but scattered in the north of Western Australia, the Northern Territory,[8] South Australia, Queensland and New South Wales.

Toxicity

The plant is reported to be poisonous to cattle,[9] because it contains a known toxic derivative of anthraquinone called emodin.[10] and the seeds contain chrysarobin (1,8-dihydroxy-3-methyl-9-anthrone) and N-methylmorpholine.[11] The plant is also has some poisonous characteristics to humans if enough of it is taken.[12]

Despite the claims of being poisonous, the leaves of this plant, Dhiguthiyara in the Maldivian language,[13] have been used in the diet of the Maldives for centuries[14] in dishes such as mas huni and also as a medicinal plant.[15]

Almost all parts (leaf, root, seeds) of the plant are used as food and medicine by tribal populations in India. However, consumption of Bana Chakunda seeds has been identified as a possible cause of death of tribal children due to acute Encephalopathy (see Acute HME syndrome).[16] [17] Once the plant was identified as the cause, the number of deaths plummeted.[18]

The same thing happened in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, where 16 outbreaks were recorded.[19] This was a record in comparison to the clinical study of 1979, at which eight calves died after contracting dyspnea, neutrophilia and tachycardia from consumption of the plant.[20]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Wiecek . Barbara . Senna occidentalis . Royal Botanic Garden Sydney . 13 August 2023.
  2. Web site: Senna occidentalis . Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment: Canberra . 13 August 2023.
  3. Web site: Senna occidentalis . Australian Plant Name Index . 13 August 2023.
  4. Book: Linnaeus . Carl . Species Plantarum . 1 . 1753 . Junk . Berlin . 377 . 13 August 2023.
  5. Web site: Senna occidentalis . Australian Plant Name Index . 13 August 2023.
  6. Book: Link . Johann H.F. . Handbuch zur Erkennung der nutzbarsten und am häufigsten vorkommenden Gewachse . 2 . 1829 . Berlin . 140 . 13 August 2023.
  7. Book: Sharr . Francis Aubi . George . Alex . Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings . 2019 . Four Gables Press . Kardinya, WA . 9780958034180 . 264 . 3rd.
  8. Web site: Senna occidentalis . Northern Territory Government . 13 August 2023.
  9. 7900275. 36. 6. Coffee Senna (Senna occidentalis) poisoning in cattle in Brazil. Vet Hum Toxicol. 541–5. Barth, AT. Kommers, GD. Salles, MS . Wouters, F. de Barros, CS. 1994.
  10. Chukwujekwu, J.C.. Coombes, P.H.. Mulholland, D.A.. van Staden, J.. Emodin, an antibacterial anthraquinone from the roots of Cassia occidentalis. 2006. South African Journal of Botany. 72. 2. 295–297. 10.1016/j.sajb.2005.08.003. free.
  11. Kim, Hyeong L.. Camp, Bennie J.. Grigsby, Ronald D.. 1971. Isolation of N-methylmorpholine from the seeds of Cassia occidentalis (coffee senna). Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 19. 1. 198–199. 10.1021/jf60173a026. 5540753.
  12. Web site: Senna occidentalis . North Carolina State University - Extension Gardener . 27 May 2024.
  13. Web site: Thimaaveshi – Catalogue of Plants – Edition II . October 2009.
  14. Web site: List of food items in 'Maldives Coding System' . 2011-09-12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121004140435/http://unstats.un.org/unsd/class/intercop/training/escap03/escap03-20.PDF . 2012-10-04 . dead .
  15. Book: The Maldive Islanders, A Study of the Popular Culture of an Ancient Ocean Kingdom . Xavier Romero-Frias . Xavier Romero-Frias . 2003 . Nova Ethnographia Indica . 8472548015.
  16. Web site: Experts' report on Malkangiri kids death evokes mixed reaction. 19 November 2016. 1 May 2018.
  17. News: Strange: Now M'giri kids' deaths linked to Chakunda Plant rather rich in medicinal properties. 25 November 2016. The Daily Pioneer. Nadiya Chand Kanungo. Bhubaneswar. 1 May 2018.
  18. Cassia occidentalis poisoning as the probable cause of hepatomyoencephalopathy in children in western Uttar Pradesh. Vashishtha VM. Kumar A. John TJ. Nayak NC. Indian Journal of Medical Research. 125. 6. 2007. 756–762. 17704552. 12820053. 2018-05-01. 2018-05-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20180502064448/https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/8385/1f11320b1c4e83e405aadf1dea7feb1c3fd3.pdf?_ga=2.68828497.1359815275.1525210781-1639076611.1525210781. dead.
  19. Spontaneous coffee senna poisoning in cattle: report on 16 outbreaks. Pesquisa Veterinária Brasileira. 31. 2. 139–146. Rio de Janeiro. February 2011. 10.1590/S0100-736X2011000200008. Carmo. Priscila M.S.. Irigoyen. Luiz Francisco. Lucena. Ricardo B.. Fighera. Rafael A.. Kommers. Glaucia D.. Barros. Claudio S.L.. free.
  20. Rogers, R.J.. Giboson, J.. Reichmann, K.G.. The Toxicity of Cassia occidentalis for Cattle. September 1979. Australian Veterinary Journal. 55. 9. 408–412. 10.1111/j.1751-0813.1979.tb05590.x. 543831.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Senna occidentalis".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.