Chamaecrista nictitans

(L.) Moench

Fabaceae

+ Synonyms

Cassia aeschinomene Collad.

Cassia aspera Elliott

Cassia biglandulosa Bertol.

Cassia brachycarpa Urb.

Cassia brachypoda Benth.

Cassia broughtonii Fawc. & Rendle

Cassia chamaecrista diffusa Kuntze

Cassia chamaecrista hypnotica (Vell.) N.F. Mattos

Cassia chamaecrista incana Kuntze

Cassia chamaecrista nictitans Kuntze

Cassia comayaguana (Britton & Rose) Lundell

Cassia diffusa DC.

Cassia disadena Steud.

Cassia erecta Willd. ex Steud.

Cassia exunguis Urb.

Cassia fasciata (Britton) Fawc. & Rendle

Cassia felipensis Kunth

Cassia fenixensis (Britton & Rose) Lundell

Cassia flavicoma paraguariensis Chodat & Hassl.

Cassia gemina Vell.

Cassia glaberrima (Britton) León

Cassia hypnotica Vell.

Cassia leptadenia Greenm.

Cassia lucesiae Pittier

Cassia martinicensis Urb.

Cassia mayana Lundell

Cassia mimosoides aeschinomene (DC. ex Collad.) Benth.

Cassia mimosoides leschenaultiana (DC.) H.Ohashi

Cassia multipinnata Pollard

Cassia nicoyana (Britton) Standl.

Cassia nictidans L.

Cassia nictitans L.

Cassia patellaria Collad.

Cassia patellaria longifolia Benth.

Cassia patellaria ramosa Vogel

Cassia pennelliana Amshoff

Cassia praetexta Vogel

Cassia procumbens L.

Cassia propinqua Kunth

Cassia riparia Kunth

Cassia rovirosana (Britton) Lundell

Cassia seleri (Rose) Lundell

Cassia simplex (Standl.) Standl.

Cassia smaragdina Macfad.

Cassia stenocarpa Vogel

Cassia stenocarpa stenocarpoides (Britton) Schery

Cassia stenocarpoides (Britton) Lundell

Cassia tabascoensis (Britton & Rose) Lundell

Cassia villosissima (Britton & Rose) Lundell

Cassia wilsonii (Britton & Rose) Standl.

Chamaecrista aeschinomene (Collad.) Greene

Chamaecrista aspera (Muhl.) Greene

Chamaecrista brachycarpa (Urb.) Britton & Rose

Chamaecrista browniana Britton & Rose

Chamaecrista chiriquensis Britton & Rose

Chamaecrista comayaguana Britton & Rose

Chamaecrista conzattii Britton & Rose

Chamaecrista diffusa (DC.) Britton

Chamaecrista dussii Britton

Chamaecrista exunguis (Urb.) Britton

Chamaecrista fasciata Britton

Chamaecrista fenixensis Britton & Rose

Chamaecrista glaberrima Britton

Chamaecrista lechenaultiana (DC.) O. Deg.

Chamaecrista leptadenia (Greenm.) Cockerell

Chamaecrista longicoma Britton & Rose

Chamaecrista lucesiae Pittier

Chamaecrista martinicensis (Urb.) Britton & Rose

Chamaecrista millspaughii Pollard

Chamaecrista mohrii (Pollard) Britton & Rose

Chamaecrista molinae G. Flores & M. Sousa

Chamaecrista multipinnata (Pollard) Greene

Chamaecrista multipinnata Pennell

Chamaecrista nelsonii Britton & Rose

Chamaecrista nicoyana Britton

Chamaecrista patellaria (DC. ex Collad.) Greene

Chamaecrista procumbens (L.) Greene

Chamaecrista rekoi Britton & Rose

Chamaecrista riparia (Kunth) Britton

Chamaecrista rovirosana Britton

Chamaecrista salvadorensis Britton

Chamaecrista simplex Standl.

Chamaecrista simpsonii (Pollard) A.Heller

Chamaecrista smaragdina (Macfad.) Britton

Chamaecrista stenocarpa (Vogel) Standl.

Chamaecrista stenocarpoides Britton

Chamaecrista tabascoensis Britton & Rose

Chamaecrista tonduzii Britton & Rose

Chamaecrista villosissima Britton & Rose

Chamaecrista wilsonii Britton & Rose

Nictitella amena Raf.

Common Name:

Plant growing in native habitat
Photograph by: James H. Miller & Ted Bodner, Southern Weed Science Society, Bugwood.org

General Information

Chamaecrista nictitans is an annual, occasionally short-lived perennial plant with a more or less woody base. It can grow up to 1 metre tall[

310

Title: Plant Resources of Southeast Asia
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Author
Website: http://proseanet.org/
Publisher
Year: 0
ISBN
Description: Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.

].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine. It has been trialled as a green manure and cover crop.
Chamaecrista nictitans is widespread and common in its natural range, and it is naturalized elsewhere. At present the population is believed to be stable and does not appear to be under any significant threat. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2012)[

338

Title: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Publication
Author
Website: http://www.iucnredlist.org/
Publisher
Year: 0
ISBN
Description: A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Tropical and subtropical America from Argentina north through S. America, C. America and the Caribbean to southern and eastern N. America.

Habitat

Open woods, prairies, thickets, wet or dry shores, on sandy soils, commonly in disturbed habitats[

415

Title: Tropical Forages
Publication
Author
Website: http://www.tropicalforages.info/key/Forages/Media/Html/index.htm
Publisher
Year: 0
ISBN
Description: Mainly focussed on forage plants, the site gives a lot of information on the plant, with a good botanical description, details of cultivation, plant uses and a good selection of photographs.

]. Locally abundant as a weed along roadsides and in cultivated areas, sometimes in coconut plantations in Java[

305

Title: Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk
Publication
Author
Website: http://www.hear.org/pier/scientificnames/index.html
Publisher
Year: 0
ISBN
Description: A very good website detailing weed species that have been introduced into the Pacific Islands.

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Conservation Status	Least Concern
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Annual/Perennial
Height	0.80 m
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

With its large area of distribution this species is amenable to a wide range of climatic conditions. In the south of its range (in Paraguay) it is found in areas with a mean annual rainfall in the range of 1,300 - 1,600,, and an average annual temperature of 22 - 23°c[

415

Title: Tropical Forages
Publication
Author
Website: http://www.tropicalforages.info/key/Forages/Media/Html/index.htm
Publisher
Year: 0
ISBN
Description: Mainly focussed on forage plants, the site gives a lot of information on the plant, with a good botanical description, details of cultivation, plant uses and a good selection of photographs.

].
Native to a wide range of soil types, though it is most prevalent on free-draining sands of an acid to neutral reaction[

415

Title: Tropical Forages
Publication
Author
Website: http://www.tropicalforages.info/key/Forages/Media/Html/index.htm
Publisher
Year: 0
ISBN
Description: Mainly focussed on forage plants, the site gives a lot of information on the plant, with a good botanical description, details of cultivation, plant uses and a good selection of photographs.

]. The plant often grows in dry, often sandy soil in open areas[

372

Title: Flowers of India
Publication
Author
Website: http://www.flowersofindia.net/
Publisher
Year: 0
ISBN
Description: A wed site of native Indian plants, plus cultivated and naturalized species. It has good quality photos and terse details on more than 3,000 species and cultivars.

].
The plant is considered to be a weed in its native Brazil[

310

Title: Plant Resources of Southeast Asia
Publication
Author
Website: http://proseanet.org/
Publisher
Year: 0
ISBN
Description: Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.

]. It has escaped from cultivation in many areas and has been declared 'Invasive' in many Pacific Islands[

305

Title: Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk
Publication
Author
Website: http://www.hear.org/pier/scientificnames/index.html
Publisher
Year: 0
ISBN
Description: A very good website detailing weed species that have been introduced into the Pacific Islands.

].
Seedlings grow rapidly and early-flowering types can flower within 6 weeks[

415

Title: Tropical Forages
Publication
Author
Website: http://www.tropicalforages.info/key/Forages/Media/Html/index.htm
Publisher
Year: 0
ISBN
Description: Mainly focussed on forage plants, the site gives a lot of information on the plant, with a good botanical description, details of cultivation, plant uses and a good selection of photographs.

].
The leaves are sometimes sensitive to touch, folding when disturbed[

415

Title: Tropical Forages
Publication
Author
Website: http://www.tropicalforages.info/key/Forages/Media/Html/index.htm
Publisher
Year: 0
ISBN
Description: Mainly focussed on forage plants, the site gives a lot of information on the plant, with a good botanical description, details of cultivation, plant uses and a good selection of photographs.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The plant (part not specified) is used as a remedy for stomach ache and fever[

338

Title: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Publication
Author
Website: http://www.iucnredlist.org/
Publisher
Year: 0
ISBN
Description: A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.

Agroforestry Uses:

A cover crop, producing a good ground cover but limited amounts of green matter. Its actual usefulness is yet to be confirmed[

310

Title: Plant Resources of Southeast Asia
Publication
Author
Website: http://proseanet.org/
Publisher
Year: 0
ISBN
Description: Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.

].
The flowers are a good source of pollen for bees[

415

Title: Tropical Forages
Publication
Author
Website: http://www.tropicalforages.info/key/Forages/Media/Html/index.htm
Publisher
Year: 0
ISBN
Description: Mainly focussed on forage plants, the site gives a lot of information on the plant, with a good botanical description, details of cultivation, plant uses and a good selection of photographs.

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. Sow the seed in situ - scarified seed germinates quickly after rainfall but hard seed will require weathering to break the integrity of the seed coat to enable germination[

415

Title: Tropical Forages
Publication
Author
Website: http://www.tropicalforages.info/key/Forages/Media/Html/index.htm
Publisher
Year: 0
ISBN
Description: Mainly focussed on forage plants, the site gives a lot of information on the plant, with a good botanical description, details of cultivation, plant uses and a good selection of photographs.

Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-11-23. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Chamaecrista+nictitans>

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