CAESALPINIACEAE - Caesalpinia Family
Trees or shrubs, some thorny
Leaves usually pinnate
or bipinnate, alternate
Flowers bisexual, zygomorphic,
sometimes almost actinomorphic,
standard inside wings, stamens often all not alike, in a variety of
inflorescences
150 genera, 2200 species, mostly tropical and subtropical, it is
divided into four major groups based mostly on stipule characters
Some genera found in North America
Senna
is one of the larger genera, at one time it was included in
Cassia.
Economic importance: drugs, dyes, timber, and ornamentals
Medicinal uses - root teas to relieve fatigue, leaves widely used
as a laxative.
Diagnostic characteristics: zygomorphic corolla, arrangement of
standard and wings, pinnate or bipinnate leaves
IMAGE GALLERY
FLOWERING PLANT GATEWAY (Caesalpiniaceae)
(Leguminosae)
