Senegalia megaladena facts for kids

Senegalia megaladena var. indochinensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Clade:	Mimosoideae
Genus:	Senegalia
Species:	S. megaladena
Varietas:	S. m. var. indochinensis
Trinomial name
Senegalia megaladena var. indochinensis (I.C.Nielsen) Maslin, Seigler & Ebinger
Synonyms
Acacia megaladena var. indochinensis I.C.Nielsen

Senegalia megaladena var. megaladena
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Clade:	Mimosoideae
Genus:	Senegalia
Species:	S. megaladena
Varietas:	S. m. var. megaladena
Trinomial name
Senegalia megaladena var. megaladena
Synonyms
Acacia arrophula D.Don Acacia brunnescens C.E.Parkinson Acacia paludosa Blume ex Miq. Acacia tenerrima (de Vriese) Miq. Albizia tenerrima de Vriese

The Senegalia megaladena is a plant that can be a spiky climbing vine, a bush, or a tree. It grows naturally in Jawa (Indonesia), and across mainland Southeast Asia to China and India. People sometimes eat parts of it as a vegetable. It has also been traditionally used to help catch fish. The plant gets its name from a special large bump, called a gland, found on its leaf stalks (petioles).

What Does Senegalia megaladena Look Like?

This plant can grow in different ways. It might be a strong climbing vine with stems up to 50mm thick. It can also be a sprawling bush or a small tree, reaching 4 to 10 meters (about 13 to 33 feet) tall. It lives for many years.

Its leaves are made up of many tiny leaflets, arranged in a double feather-like pattern. A key feature of this plant is a noticeable raised gland on its leaf stalk. This gland can be found in different spots on the stalk. It is usually between 1 and 5.5 millimeters long and looks orange or orange-brown when fresh.

Varieties of Senegalia megaladena

There are two main types, or varieties, of this plant:

• The megaladena variety has leaflets that are usually 4 to 8 millimeters long and about 0.8 to 1.5 millimeters wide. You can often see the small veins on these leaflets, though sometimes they are faint. This variety flowers in Yunnan, China, from July to September. Its fruits usually appear from December to February.

• The indochinensis variety has smaller leaflets, typically 2 to 5 millimeters long and about 0.4 to 0.6 millimeters wide. The small veins on these leaflets are usually very hard to see or not visible at all. This variety flowers in Hainan, China, from July to September. Its ripe fruits have been found in April.

Where Does Senegalia megaladena Grow?

This plant is native to Jawa in Indonesia, and stretches across mainland Southeast Asia to China and India. You can find it growing naturally in these countries and regions:

• Indonesia (Jawa)
• Malaysia (Peninsular Malaysia)
• Thailand
• Cambodia
• Vietnam
• China (Hainan, Yunnan)
• Laos
• Myanmar
• India (including Andaman Islands, Assam)
• Bangladesh
• East Himalaya
• Nepal

Where the Indochinensis Variety Grows

The indochinensis variety grows naturally from Peninsular Malaysia all the way to Vietnam and Hainan in China. The countries where it is native include:

• Malaysia (Peninsular Malaysia)
• Thailand
• Cambodia
• Laos
• Vietnam
• China (Hainan)

This variety has also been brought to Jawa in Indonesia by people.

Where It Lives and How It Grows

In Southeast Asia, the indochinensis variety often grows as a climbing vine or a spiky bush. It likes to live in forests that are regrowing, in open areas, or along roadsides. In China, it grows in open forests at elevations between 100 and 400 meters (about 330 to 1,300 feet) above sea level.

The megaladena variety in China can be found in forests that are either open or very dense, or in thickets (dense groups of bushes). It often grows on sandstone mountains. This variety has been recorded at altitudes from 230 to 1400 meters (about 750 to 4,600 feet). Scientists have noted that in Jinping County, these plants were quite common but often grew alone or in small groups.

Names for the Plant

This plant has different names depending on the language and region:

• In Cambodia, it is called sâ-âm in the Khmer language.
• The Karen people in Chiang Mai Province, northern Thailand, call it klae kwo.
• In China, it is known as 钝叶金合欢, which is pronounced dùn yè jīn hé huān.
• Another English name that has been used is obtuse-leaflet senegalia.

How People Use Senegalia megaladena

This plant has several traditional uses:

• In Cambodia, people eat the leaves. They can be eaten raw or cooked as a vegetable. The roots and bark have been used to help catch fish.
• The Karen people in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand, also use this plant. They burn the bark and roots to create a smoke that helps keep insects away. They also crush the bark and roots to use as a fish poison. The leaves are cooked and eaten as a vegetable.
• The leaves and stem are also used to help with itching. They can be crushed and rubbed on the skin, or burned so the smoke can be used.

History of the Plant's Discovery

The Senegalia megaladena species was officially described in 2013. This was done by a team of botanists: Bruce Maslin (born 1946), David Stanley Seigler (born 1940), and John Edwin Ebinger (born 1933).

Bruce Maslin is an Australian botanist who studies a group of plants called Acacia. The team published their findings in a science journal called Blumea. Their article was titled New combinations in Senegalia and Vachellia (Leguminosae: Mimosoideae) for Southeast Asia and China. The indochinensis variety was also described in this same publication.

Before 2013, this plant was known as Acacia megaladena. It was first described in 1814 by a French botanist named Nicaise Auguste Desvaux (1784-1856). He published his description in a journal called Journal de Botanique, Appliquée à l'Agriculture, à la Pharmacie, à la Médecine et aux Arts (Paris). Later, scientists realized that the Acacia group of plants was not as simple as they thought. So, the plant was moved to the Senegalia group, which is now accepted.

The name megaladena comes from two ancient Greek words: megalos, meaning "large," and adenos, meaning "gland." This refers to the plant's noticeably large gland on its leaf stalks.