General Information :

• Senna is a medium-size, evergreen ornamental tree.
• It has a dense, round, spreading crown with smooth greyish bark.
• Leaves are alternate and dark green in color.
• Flowers numerous bright yellow in color.
• Pods are flat brown when ripe.
• Seeds are bean shaped shiny dark brown in color.

Distribution :

 

• It is native to southern peninsula, particularly southern portion of Tamil Nadu.

 

Habitat : Various types of forests at low elevations.

Soil : Wide range of soils

Soil pH : 5.5-7.5

Altitude :Up to 1200 m (MSL)

Rainfall :400-2800 mm

Temperature : 38°c- 48°c

Terrain : Plain / hilly

Tree Characteristics :

• Strong light demander, Drought resistant and not resistant to fire
• Sensitive to poor drainage.

Habit : Evergreen tree

Natural Regeneration :

 

• Regenerates naturally by seeds and Coppice.

 

Artificial Regeneration :

• Propagated by Nursery raised seedlings.

Seed collection and Storage :

• Pods are collected during March – April.
• The seeds are collected by breaking the pods.
• Seeds can be stored up to 3 years.
• Seed Rate is 37000/kg.
• Germination capacity is 75 - 80%.

Seed Treatment :

• Hot water treatment for 10 minutes or cold Water treatment for 24 hours

Nursery Technique :

• Seeds are sown in standard size mother bed during April-May
• Germination starts in 3-4- days and lasts for three weeks.
• Pricking out in polythene bags can be done when first pair of leaves is noticed in the nursery seedlings.
• Sowing pretreated seed can also be done directly in polythene bags filled with equal proportion of sandy loam and FYM.
• Seedlings are placed under shade should be watered twice in a week.

Plantation technique :

•  Six Month old nursery raised seedlings are fit for planting.
•  Pit size of 30 cm3 with spacing of 3 m x 3 m or 5m x 5 m can be adopted.
•  For afforestation on saline and alkaline soils pitting of 60cm x 60cm x 80cm  or 60cm x 60cm x 120cm are adopted.
• For fuel wood plantation suitable spacing adopted is 2 m x 2 m.

Care & Disease Control :

 

• The plantation must be kept weed free and protection from cattle at the initial stage.

 

Irrigation :

• No Tolerance to water logging.

Recommended Harvest :

 

• 7 to 10 years

 

Yield :

 

• 150 to 200 tones/ha of Fuel wood

 

Agro Forestory :

• The tree is grown to provide shade along roads and in cocoa, coffee and tea plantations.
• It is also planted as a dense windbreak and shelterbelt.
• It is pruned into hedgerows and used as a live fence around food crops. When used as a hedgerow, it effectively increases topsoil infiltration, reducing runoff and combating soil erosion.

Major uses :

• The tree is grown to provide shade along roads and in cocoa, coffee and tea plantations.
• It is also planted as a dense windbreak and shelterbelt.
• It is pruned into hedgerows and used as a live fence around food crops. When used as a hedgerow, it effectively increases topsoil infiltration, reducing runoff and combating soil erosion.
• The leaves are used as green manure, and a well-grown tree can yield 500 kg/year of fresh leaves.
• S. Siamea forms ecto-mycorrhizae and provides very useful mulch, especially in alley-cropping systems.
• It is used extensively for rehabilitation of degraded land
• It sis cultivated as ornamental tree in parks and along road side as avenue.

Other uses :

• The wood is medium-weight to heavy, hard to very hard, resistant to termites, strong and durable.
• It is difficult to work, with a tendency to pick up in planing and it takes a high polish.
• The dark heartwood, which is often nicely figured, is used for joinery, cabinet making, inlaying, handles, sticks and other decorative uses