Common Name:

General Information

Senna lactea is a deciduous tree thatt can grow around 10 - 30 metres tall. The bole can be up to 150cm in diameter[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use of its wood. It is grown to provide shade in coffee plantations.
Although Senna lactea has a comparatively small area of distribution, it has not been reported to be endangered. It has been recorded as locally common as an adventive in degraded vegetation and thus may survive in areas subject to forest degradation caused by human intervention[].
Even though the natural habitat of Senna lactea is continuing to decline due to agricultural land conversion by slash and burn, logging, mining, and bush fire, it does not as yet significantly threaten the species. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2019)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Africa - northern Madagascar.

Habitat

Humid evergreen forest and seasonally dry forest; at elevations from sea-level up to 1,600 metres. Often along rivers, but also growing in degraded vegetation[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	15.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

Senna lactea is planted as a shade tree in coffee plantations[].

Other Uses

The yellowish wood is strong. It is used for furniture[].
The wood is used for fuel and for charcoal production[].

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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