There is considerable confusion surrounding this taxon. It was originally published as Chamaecrista leschenaultiana by Otto Degener in 'Flora Hawaiiensis; the New Illustrated Flora of the Hawaiian Islands. Honolulu; Family 169b' in 1934. However, this was founded on the basionym Cassia lechenaultiana DC., originally published in Mémoires de la Société de Physique et d'Histoire Naturelle de Genève. Geneva & Paris ii. 132 in 1824. The addition of the letter 's' to the specific name has been continued in many modern publications, although the original spelling is also sometimes used. Since the original name was founded as a tribute to a 'M. Lechenault, who discovered the plant in Bengal', it is assumed here that this is the correct spelling. This, however, is somewhat further complicated by the fact that the name Lechenault can be either a mis-spelling or an alternative spelling for the French botanist Jean-Baptiste Leschenault de La Tour, who was collecting in India from 1816 - 1822[].
In addition, some modern treatments, such as the online 'Flora of the Hawaiian Islands' treat this taxon as a synonym of Chamaecrista nictitans glabrata (Vogel) H.S.Irwin & Barneby[].

Common Name:

General Information

Chamaecrista lechenaultiana is an erect or prostrate, annual to perennial plant producing stems up to 1.5 metres long. The stems become more or less woody at their base[, ].
The leaves are harvested from the wild for use in making tea, whilst the plant is sometimes cultivated as a green manure.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - China, India, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, New Guinea.

Habitat

Grassland, and as a weed; at elevations up to 300 metres in West Java, but from 500 - 1,600 metres in Indo-China[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Annual/Perennial
Height	1.00 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

The plant responds well to pruning[].
The leaves react to touch in the same way as the sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica)[].

Edible Uses

The leaves are used in the preparation of some kinds of tea called 'kobo-cha' and 'nemu-cha'[].

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

A self-seeding green manure, recommended for low elevations in humid areas of the tropics and sub-tropics[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - it has a hard seedcoat and may benefit from scarification before sowing in order to speed up and improve germination. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing.

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