Caesalpiniaceae · Senna

Kasaundi / Coffee Weed

Senna occidentalis

Also known as Negro Coffee, Stinking Weed, Coffee Senna, Foetid Senna, Septicweed

UndershruboutdoorMedicinal
Habit
Undershrub
Found in India
Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Gujarat & more
Flowering
July-February

Plant Details

Scientific name
Senna occidentalis
Genus
Senna
Habitat
Margins of scrub forests, occasional in low elevations and roadsides
Habitat type
Forest, Scrub, Wasteland
Native to
Tropical America
Distribution
Pantropical weed
Found in India
Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Gujarat, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Telangana, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Haryana, Rajasthan, Odisha, Delhi, Bihar, Punjab, Assam, Puducherry, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Tripura
Flowering & fruiting
July-February
Conservation status
Not Evaluated (NE)

Leaf characters

Leaf type
Pinnately compoundrecordedLeaflets are arranged in rows along a central stalk, like a feather.Its leaves are pinnate, 150–170 mm (5.9–6.7 in) long on a petiole 20–40 mm (0.79–1.57 in) long, with three to seven pairs of broadly elliptic to egg-shaped leaflets 50–70 mm (2.0–2 — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Leaf shape
OvaterecordedEgg-shaped, broader near the base.Its leaves are pinnate, 150–170 mm (5.9–6.7 in) long on a petiole 20–40 mm (0.79–1.57 in) long, with three to seven pairs of broadly elliptic to egg-shaped leaflets 50–70 mm (2.0–2 — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Typical of the family

Arrangement
Alternate
Entire margin leaf character
Margin
Entire
Pinnate venation leaf character
Venation
Pinnate

Characters marked “recorded” are for Kasaundi itself; the rest are typical of the Caesalpiniaceae family.

Flower & fruit characters

Flower colour
Yellowrecorded

Typical of the family

Inflorescence
Raceme
Fruit
Legume

Characters marked “recorded” are for Kasaundi itself; the rest are typical of the Caesalpiniaceae family — flowering plants only.

Local Names

Hindi
Kasunda, Bari kasondi,कासौंदी kasaundi
Nepali
कसौडी Kasaudee, ताप्रे Taapre, चकमके Chakamake
Bengali
Kalkashunda, কলকাসুন্দা
Tamil
Nattam takarai, Payaverai, காசூந்தி
Telugu
Thangedu, కాసున్దీ, కసింద
Kannada
ಕಸಿಂದಿ Kasindi, ಕೋಲ್ತೊಗಚೆ Kolthogache, ಆನೆ ಚೊಗಟೆ Aane chogate, ಕಾಸುಂಡಿ
Malayalam
Mattantakara, കാസുണ്ടി, ഊളൻ തകര
Marathi
Ran-takda, Kasivda, Kasoda, कासुंदी
Sanskrit
कासुन्दी
Gujarati
કાસુંદિ
Odia
କାସୁନ୍ଦି
Punjabi
ਕਾਸੁੰਦੀ
Assamese
কাসুন্দি
Urdu
کاسندی
Sinhala
පැණි තෝර

About Kasaundi

Coffee Weed (Senna occidentalis) belongs to the Caesalpiniaceae family, where it grows as a low shrub. In India it has been recorded in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Gujarat and 22 other states. It grows in margins of scrub forests, occasional in low elevations and roadsides. Flowering and fruiting run from July to February.

Uses

Parts of this plant are reported as poisonous — treat it as unsafe to eat and wash your hands after handling.

Illustration representing the Caesalpiniaceae family
Botanical family

Caesalpiniaceae

Senna family

Kasaundi belongs to the Caesalpiniaceae family.

The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.

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Common plant problems

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