Antbush (Senna occidentalis, Handbuch 2: 140 (1831))

Family: Fabaceae

Author: (L.) Link

Bibliography: Handbuch 2: 140 (1831)

Year: 1831

Status: accepted

Rank: species

Genus: Senna

Vegetable: False

Observations: Trop. & Subtrop. America

Description

Antbush, known scientifically as Senna occidentalis, is a member of the Fabaceae family and has a rich history and notable ecology within the tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas.

Originating from the comprehensive work “Handbuch 2” published in 1831, Antbush has since garnered scientific interest, being recognized and described by the botanist Link. Its geographical distribution primarily spans across the warmer climates of the Americas, where it has adapted to thrive in diverse environments.

The plant is easily identifiable by its characteristic compound leaves and small, yellow flowers, which are typical features of many species in the Fabaceae family. It often grows in disturbed areas, including along roadsides, in open fields, and in other sunny, exposed sites where it can take advantage of the reduced competition for resources.

Antbush has traditionally been used in various folkloric applications, particularly among indigenous communities. Its seeds, leaves, and roots have been utilized for their medicinal properties, although modern research warrants caution due to potential toxicity. The plant plays an essential role in the ecosystem, acting as a host for various insects and providing valuable nitrogen fixation in the soil, a signature trait of leguminous plants.

Furthermore, the study of Senna occidentalis has revealed its adaptability and potential applications in sustainable agriculture owing to its nitrogen-fixing abilities. This quality enriches the soil, thereby enhancing the growth of neighboring plants and improving overall land fertility.

In summary, Antbush (Senna occidentalis) stands as a significant species within the Fabaceae family, notable for its medicinal history, ecological roles, and adaptive growth in tropical and subtropical climates. Its continued study contributes to an increased understanding of plant biodiversity and the sustainable practices that support agricultural and ecological health.

Common Names

Dan: kaffe-sennes
Eng: septicweed, antbush, coffee senna, negro-coffee, stinkingweed, bitter root, ant bush, arsenic bush, birds beak, coffee weed, nigerian senna, sickle pod, stink weed, stinking weed, stinking pea, styptic weed, wild coffee, wild french guava
Fra: bentamaré, café bâtard, café nège, casse-café, casse-puante, café des noirs, herbe puante
Spa: bricho, brusca, frijolillo, guanina, ahitera, bicho, bruca, busaca, cafecillo, cafecito, café de brusco, café furrusco, café moucha, chilinchil, cresta de gallo, fedegosa, gallinazo, mamuri, mezquitillo, panama, pico de pájaro, potra, quichores, rematilla, taperyvá hú, yerba de gallinazo, yerba de murciélago, yerba potra
Por: mangirioba, manjirioba
Cha: amot-tumaga
Amh: assenmeka
Jpn: habuso
Zho: jue ming zi, wang jiang nan
Ind: kasingsat
Swa: mnuka uvundo, mwingajini
Kor: soggjolmjong
Deu: stink-kassie
En: Antbush, Coffee senna, Septicweed, Negro-coffee, Stinkingweed, Bitter Root, Ant Bush, Arsenic Bush, Birds Beak, Coffee weed, Nigerian senna, Sickle pod, Stink weed, Stinking Weed, Stinking pea, Styptic weed, Wild Coffee, Wild French guava, Arsenic Bean, Brusca Macho, Coffee-senna, Fetid senna, Gros Indigo Sauvage, Gros Indigo á Fleurs Jaunes, Mata Pasta, Mata Patinho, Negro Coffee, Indigo
Am: Assenmeka
Ch: Amot-tumaga
Zh: Jue ming zi, Wang jiang nan
Da: Kaffe-sennes
Fr: Casse-café, Casse-puante, Café bâtard, Café nège, Bentamaré, Café des noirs, Herbe puante, Kanéfis, Séné occidental, Gros Indigo Sauvage, Café zerb pian, Digo, Anigou, Digo café, Indigo, Gros indigo, Lindigo
De: Stink-Kassie
Id: Kasingsat
Ja: Habuso
Ko: Seoggyeolmyeong, Soggjolmjong
Pt: Mangirioba, Manjirioba, Cana fista, Cana fistula
Es: Bricho, Frijolillo, Guanina, Brusca, Ahitera, Bicho, Bruca, Busaca, Cafecillo, Cafecito, Café de brusco, Café furrusco, Café moucha, Chilinchil, Cresta de gallo, Fedegosa, Gallinazo, Mamuri, Mezquitillo, Panama, Pico de pájaro, Potra, Quichores, Rematilla, Taperyvá hú, Yerba de gallinazo, Yerba de murciélago, Yerba potra, Cumandai
Sw: Mnuka uvundo, Mwingajini

Synonyms

• Cassia ciliata (Raf.)
• Cassia occidentalis var. glabra (Vogel)
• Cassia glaucescens (Hoffmanns.)
• Cassia occidentalis (L.)
• Psilorhegma planisiliqua ((L.) Britton & Rose)
• Cassia plumieri (DC.)
• Senna occidentalis var. andhrica ((P.V.Ramana, J.Swamy & M.Ahmed.) K.W.Jiang)
• Cassia planisiliqua (L.)
• Cassia obliquifolia (Schrank)
• Cassia falcata (L.)
• Ditremexa occidentalis ((L.) Britton & Rose)
• Senna orientalis (Walp.)
• Cassia macradenia (Collad.)
• Cassia occidentalis var. aristata (Collad.)
• Diallobus falcatus ((L.) Raf.)
• Ditremexa fetida (Raf.)
• Cassia papulosa (Hoffmanns.)
• Ditremexa caroliniana ((Walter) Raf.)
• Cassia caroliniana (Walter)
• Senna andhrica (P.V.Ramana, J.Swamy & M.Ahmed.)
• Cassia foetida (Willemet)

Distribution

• Argentina Northeast (native)
• Argentina Northwest (native)
• Aruba (native)
• Bahamas (native)
• Belize (native)
• Bolivia (native)
• Brazil North (native)
• Brazil Northeast (native)
• Brazil South (native)
• Brazil Southeast (native)
• Brazil West-Central (native)
• Cayman Is. (native)
• Colombia (native)
• Costa Rica (native)
• Cuba (native)
• Dominican Republic (native)
• Ecuador (native)
• El Salvador (native)
• French Guiana (native)
• Galápagos (native)
• Guatemala (native)
• Guyana (native)
• Haiti (native)
• Honduras (native)
• Jamaica (native)
• Leeward Is. (native)
• Mexico Central (native)
• Mexico Gulf (native)
• Mexico Northeast (native)
• Mexico Northwest (native)
• Mexico Southeast (native)
• Mexico Southwest (native)
• Netherlands Antilles (native)
• Nicaragua (native)
• Panamá (native)
• Paraguay (native)
• Peru (native)
• Puerto Rico (native)
• Southwest Caribbean (native)
• Suriname (native)
• Trinidad-Tobago (native)
• Uruguay (native)
• Venezuela (native)
• Venezuelan Antilles (native)
• Windward Is. (native)
• Alabama (introduced)
• Aldabra (introduced)
• Andaman Is. (introduced)
• Angola (introduced)
• Arkansas (introduced)
• Ascension (introduced)
• Assam (introduced)
• Bangladesh (introduced)
• Benin (introduced)
• Bermuda (introduced)
• Bismarck Archipelago (introduced)
• Borneo (introduced)
• Botswana (introduced)
• Burkina (introduced)
• Burundi (introduced)
• Cambodia (introduced)
• Cameroon (introduced)
• Canary Is. (introduced)
• Cape Verde (introduced)
• Caprivi Strip (introduced)
• Caroline Is. (introduced)
• Central African Repu (introduced)
• Chad (introduced)
• Chagos Archipelago (introduced)
• China South-Central (introduced)
• China Southeast (introduced)
• Christmas I. (introduced)
• Cocos (Keeling) Is. (introduced)
• Comoros (introduced)
• Congo (introduced)
• Cook Is. (introduced)
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• Gilbert Is. (introduced)
• Guinea (introduced)
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• New South Wales (introduced)
• Nicobar Is. (introduced)
• Niger (introduced)
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• Pakistan (introduced)
• Philippines (introduced)
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• Queensland (introduced)
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• Réunion (introduced)
• Samoa (introduced)
• Saudi Arabia (introduced)
• Senegal (introduced)
• Seychelles (introduced)
• Sierra Leone (introduced)
• Society Is. (introduced)
• Solomon Is. (introduced)
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• South China Sea (introduced)
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• St.Helena (introduced)
• Sudan (introduced)
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• Vanuatu (introduced)
• Vietnam (introduced)
• West Himalaya (introduced)
• Western Australia (introduced)
• Yemen (introduced)
• Zambia (introduced)
• Zaïre (introduced)
• Zimbabwe (introduced)

Additional Images

Habit

Taken Dec 10, 2019 by Sylvain Piry (cc-by-sa)

Taken Jul 26, 2022 by Trap Hers (cc-by-sa)

Taken Mar 24, 2018 by Tela Botanica − Liliane ROUBAUDI (cc-by-sa)

Taken Aug 28, 2017 by Tela Botanica − Sylvain PIRY (cc-by-sa)

Taken May 26, 2021 by mwat58 (cc-by-sa)

Leaf

Taken May 4, 2019 by ayinda abasse (cc-by-sa)

Taken May 26, 2021 by mwat58 (cc-by-sa)

Taken Oct 6, 2021 by Umbria Juliana (cc-by-sa)

Taken Jun 8, 2016 by Hugo SANTACREU (cc-by-sa)

Taken May 6, 2022 by Folorunso Abiona (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Taken Mar 24, 2018 by Tela Botanica − Liliane ROUBAUDI (cc-by-sa)

Taken Aug 28, 2017 by Tela Botanica − Sylvain PIRY (cc-by-sa)

Taken Jun 21, 2016 by Hugo SANTACREU (cc-by-sa)

Taken Sep 9, 2022 by Simon Ndirangu (cc-by-sa)

Taken Oct 14, 2021 by Arthur cooke (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Taken Apr 11, 2017 by Tela Botanica − Richard GAUTIER (cc-by-sa)

Taken Apr 4, 2022 by Anders Rasmussen (cc-by-sa)

Taken Jul 20, 2022 by EDUARDO SANDOVAL (cc-by-sa)

Taken Aug 28, 2019 by Fernand De Maeyer (cc-by-sa)

Taken Mar 24, 2018 by Tela Botanica − Liliane ROUBAUDI (cc-by-sa)

Bark

Taken Aug 23, 2018 by Sebastien Nikiel (cc-by-sa)

Taken Jun 16, 2022 by Bruno Bruno Oliveira (cc-by-sa)

Taken Jan 11, 2022 by Maarten Vanhove (cc-by-sa)

Taken Mar 18, 2017 by laurent Maurice (cc-by-sa)

Taken Jun 8, 2016 by Hugo SANTACREU (cc-by-sa)

Other

Taken Sep 8, 1988 by Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh – Anonymous (cc-by-nc)

Taken Aug 26, 1982 by Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh – Anonymous (cc-by-nc)

Taken Oct 23, 1972 by Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh – Anonymous (cc-by-nc)

Taken Jul 23, 1981 by Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh – Anonymous (cc-by-nc)

Taken Nov 28, 2018 by José Martí Rosales Rodríguez (cc-by-sa)

© copyright of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

© copyright of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

© copyright of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Sources

• WFO (No URL)
• IPNI (No URL)
• GBIF (https://www.gbif.org/species/2957966)
• POWO (http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:1117728-2)
• PlantNet (https://identify.plantnet.org/species/the-plant-list/Senna occidentalis (L.) Link)

Specifications

Growth habit: Forb/herb, Subshrub

Growth