Caesalpinia sappan L., Fabaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

Chamorro: sibukao

Chinese: su mu

English: Brazilwood, Indian redwood, sappan, sappanwood

French: bois de sappan, campêche sappan

Habit:  shrub/tree

Description:  "Caesalpinia sappan is a small to medium-sized, shrubby tree, 4-8(-10) m tall; trunk up to 14 cm in diameter; bark with distinct ridges and many prickles, greyish brown; young twigs and buds hairy, brownish. Leaves stipulate, bipinnate, alternate, 20-45(-50) cm long, 10-20 cm broad, with 8-16 pairs of up to 20 cm long pinnae; pinnae with prickles at the base and with 10-20 pairs of oblong, 10-20 mm x 6-10 mm long, subsessile leaflets, very oblique at base, rounded to emarginated at apex. Flowers in terminal panicles, racemes pubescent, primary peduncles 30-40 cm long, the flowering 9-15 cm long, bracts ovate-acuminate, about 6 mm long, flowers fragrant, 2-3 cm long, 5-merous; sepals glabrous, petals pubescent, the superior one smaller; calyx tube 3 mm long; corolla yellow, uppermost lobes cuneate, other obovate, all clawed and gland-punctate; stamens 10, filaments densely tomentose in the lower half; ovary superior, pubescent. Fruit a dehiscent pod, glabrous, thick, flattened, obliquely oblong, prominently beaked, woody, polished-brown, 7-10 cm x 3-4 cm, 2-3(-5) seeded. Seeds ellipsoid, flattened, 18-20 mm x 10-12 mm, brown" (World AgroForestryTree database).

"A small tree to 5-6 m tall, the branches with scattered prickles.  Leaves to 50 cm long; pinnae about 20 pairs, each with 10-15 pairs of oblong marked obliquely inequilateral leaflets, less than 2 cm long; flowers showy, 2.5 cm broad, yellow, in racemes; stamens woolly-pubescent on the proximal half; pods hard, indehiscent, glossy, broad, 7.5-10 cm long by 4 cm wide, beaked at apex, beak ± recurved; seeds 3-4"  (Stone, 1970; pp. 308-309).

Habitat/ecology:  "Under natural conditions C. sappan grows mostly in hilly areas with clayey soil and calcareous rocks at low and medium altitudes. In Peninsular Malaysia it grows best on sandy riverbanks. It does not tolerate too wet soil conditions" (World AgroForestryTree database).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  India, Myanmar and Malaysia (Staples & Herbst, 2005; p. 308).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Rota Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 97)
Federated States of Micronesia Yap Islands	Yap (Waqab) Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 97)
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	introduced cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1985) (pp. 95-96) Vouchers cited: DA 12349, DA 5650, DA 15374
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Stone, Benjamin C. (1970) (pp. 308-309)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 97)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Cambodia Cambodia	Cambodia (Kingdom of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	uncertain if introduced cultivated	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced cultivated	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 21) Cultivated only
Taiwan Taiwan Island	Taiwan Island	uncertain if introduced cultivated	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013)
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Lavergne, Christophe (2006) "Naturalisé"

Comments:  Naturalized in La Réunion per Christophe Lavergne, pers. com.

Control:  If you know of control methods for Caesalpinia sappan, please let us know.