San / Sunn Hemp
Crotalaria juncea
Also known as Bombay Hemp, Bengal Hemp, Brown Hemp, Indian Hemp, Madras Hemp
- Habit
- Undershrub
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal & more
- Flowering
- August-May
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Crotalaria juncea
- Genus
- Crotalaria
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Habit
- Undershrub
- Habitat
- All types of forests and plains
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Native to
- India
- Distribution
- Tropics of the World
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Telangana, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Assam, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand
- Flowering & fruiting
- August-May
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf arrangement
- AlternaterecordedOne leaf per node, arranged in a spiral or zigzag up the stem.“It has elongated alternate leaves, meaning the leaf pattern on the stem is a spiral.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf type
- Simple (single blade)recorded
- Leaf surface
- Pubescent (softly hairy)recorded
Typical of the family
Characters marked “recorded” are for San itself; the rest are typical of the Fabaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Yellowrecorded
- Fruit surface
- Inflated (balloon-like)recorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Raceme
- Fruit
- Legume
Characters marked “recorded” are for San itself; the rest are typical of the Fabaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- झुनझुनिया Jhunjhunia, masina, सन San, san
- Bengali
- Shon, শনপাট
- Tamil
- வாக்குன்னார் Vakkunnar
- Telugu
- Gilaka, Shanama
- Kannada
- Pundi
- Malayalam
- Chanaka
- Marathi
- Dhakti ghagri, Ghagharu, सन San
San in India
This fibre crop, known as झुनझुनिया Jhunjhunia (Hindi), வாக்குன்னார் Vakkunnar (Tamil), Gilaka (Telugu), Pundi (Kannada), Chanaka (Malayalam), Dhakti ghagri (Marathi), has long been grown for its strong bast fibre. Crotalaria juncea is cultivated across Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Telangana, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, both as a fibre crop and a soil-improving green manure.
Uses
Its stem fibre is processed into rope, twine and coarse cloth, and the whole plant is widely grown as a fast-growing green manure crop, ploughed back into the soil to add nitrogen and organic matter.
How to Identify San
An erect annual herb with simple, narrow, lance-shaped leaves. Bright yellow pea-like flowers cluster in upright spikes, followed by inflated, hairy pods that rattle audibly when shaken as the seeds loosen inside.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Sunn Hemp called in different Indian languages?
- झुनझुनिया Jhunjhunia (Hindi); வாக்குன்னார் Vakkunnar (Tamil); Gilaka (Telugu); Pundi (Kannada); Chanaka (Malayalam); Dhakti ghagri (Marathi); Shon (Bengali).
- Is sunn hemp related to true hemp?
- No — despite the name, sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea) is a legume unrelated to true hemp (Cannabis sativa); both simply produce a strong plant fibre, which is where the shared name comes from.
- Why is it grown as 'green manure'?
- As a legume, it fixes nitrogen in the soil through its roots, and when ploughed back in while still green, it adds organic matter and nutrients for the next crop.
Fabaceae
Legume/Bean family
San belongs to the Fabaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Fabaceae family →Snap it. Know it.
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Common plant problems
All plant problem & care guides →More in Fabaceae
View all Fabaceae →Sources: GBIF — Crotalaria juncea (India distribution & vernacular names) (CC BY 4.0) · Wikipedia — Crotalaria juncea (background/comprehension only) (CC BY-SA 4.0)