Senna sophera is a shrub or tree in the bean family Fabaceae. It is now widespread in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, but is believed to be native to tropical America. Originally described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 as Cassia sophera, it has acquired a large number of synonyms. Vernacular names include algarrobilla, baner, kasunda, kasaundi (Hindi) and kolkasunda (Bengali).. This tree is called Gnazhar tree (ஞாழல் மரம்) in Tamil. The flower of this tree has been extensively referred in poems of Sangam Tamil litterature.
Senna sophera is a shrub or small tree, glabrous, about 3 m in height. The compound leaves have 8-12 paired leaflets that are acute and tapering. It has yellow flowers in corymbose racemes.
Senna sophera is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, but is considered by Plants of the World Online to be native to the Caribbean (Aruba, the Bahamas, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, the Leeward Islands, the Netherlands Antilles, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago and the Windward Islands); Central America (Belize and Panama); and Guyana in northern South America.
Senna socotrana was assessed as "least concern" for the 2004 IUCN Red List, where it is said to be native only to Socotra., S. socotrana was regarded as a synonym of Senna sophera, which has a very much wider distribution.