Senna alata (L.) Roxb.

 
  • Family : CAESALPINIACEAE
    (Pea Or Bean Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : IMLI FAMILY (ईमली फैमिली)
  • Family (as per The APG System III) : Fabaceae
  • Subfamily : Caesalpinioideae
  • Basionym : Cassia alata L.
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Senna alata (L.) Roxb.
  • Common name : Candle Cassia, Candle Bush, Carrion Crow Bush, Candlesticks, Empress candle plant, Ringworm Cassia, Winged Senna
  • Vernacular name :
    • Dadmurdaare, Dadmari (Hindi)
    • Aane thagathe (Kannada)
    • Vandu raali, Seematyagatthi (Tamil)
    • Dadrughana (Sanskrit)
    • Chakrathakara, Elakayam, Malamthakara, Puzhukkadikonna, Puzhukkadithakara, Seema-agathi (Malayalam)
  • Habit : Shrub
  • Habitat : Along riversides and margin of ponds and also planted in gardens
  • Comments / notes : In plains, often along water courses, near cultivation and also near habitations. Sometimes planted in gardens as an ornament.
  • Key identification features : Large shrub or small tree; stipules persistent and deltoid
  • Flower, Fruit : September-February
  • Distribution :
    • Andhra Pradesh : S.P.S. Nellore district, Visakhapatnam district
    • Karnataka : Bengaluru Urban district, Bengaluru Rural district
    • Kerala : All districts
    • Maharashtra : Thane district
    • Odisha : Mayurbhanj district
    • Tamil Nadu : Tamil Nadu
    • West Bengal : West Bengal
    • Uttar Pradesh : Uttar Pradesh
  • Native : Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Leeward Islands, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Southwest Caribbean, Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, Ve
  • Exotic/Native : Exotic
  • World Distribution : Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Leeward Islands, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Southwest Caribbean, Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, Venezuela, Windward Islands
  • Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
  • Literature :
    • Pullaiah et al., 2001 - Flora of Eastern Ghats Vol. 2
    • R. S. Rao et al., 1986 - Flora of West Godavari District
    • Sudhakar Reddy, C et al., 2009. Tree Wealth of Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh, India
    • Matthew, K.M., Flora of Tamil Nadu Carnatic, Vol.3 (1). Diocesan Press, Madras. 1983
    • Sasidharan, N. 2011. Flowering plants of Kerala. DVD, V 2, KFRI
    • Henry, Kumari & Chithra (1983). Flora of Tamil Nadu, India vol. 1.
  • Read more :
  • Permalink : http://indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Senna alata
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2026). India Flora Online. http://indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Senna alata. Downloaded on 27 February 2026.

Botanical Description

Herbarium Specimen(s)

Field Image(s)

Distribution District wise

India Distribution

World Distribution

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