Caesalpinia pulcherrima (L.)Sw.

Shrub

Flowering & Fruiting: April-December.

Scandent, glabrous shrubs with sharp hooked prickles. Leaves compound; rachis ca. 20-30 cm long, prickly; pinnae 16-20, ca. 5-7.5 cm long, stalked; stipules scale-like, appresed; petiolules ca. 1 mm long; leaflets opposite, 6-11 pairs; lamina ca. 1.5-2 x 0.5-1 cm, oblong or obovate, unequal at base, obtuse at apex, entire, glabrous, membranous. Inflorescences in copiously panicled racemes, up to 30 cm long, pubescent when young; Flowers ca. 1.2 cm across, bright yellow, smaller; calyx greenish yellow, glabrous. Pods ca. 7-15 x 1.5-4 cm, glossy, winged. Seeds 3-6. (Singh, 2000).

Notes: Cultivated, Native of Tropical America

Deciduous forests

Deciduous forests

An ink is made from the charred wood. The wood makes an excellent charcoal.

A decoction or infusion of the roots, bark, leaves or flowers is used as a purgative and emmenagogue. According to the dosage it may be used as a mouthwash for teeth or gums, a remedy for colds and fevers, or even as a strong abortifacient. The root is astringent, bitter, emmenagogue and, in larger doses, is used as an abortifacient. It is used in the treatment of diarrhoea. The leaves are emmenagogue, febrifuge and tonic. At larger doses they can be abortifacient. An infusion is used to relieve constipation, as a treatment for kidney stones, and to accelerate childbirth. An infusion of the leaves and flowers is used as a diuretic. The leaves, flowers and seeds are used in the treatment of stomach, urinary bladder and kidney problems. The flowers are febrifuge and, when fresh, sudorific. An infusion is used as a treatment for gall bladder problems.