Caesalpinia gilliesii
Encyclopedia
Caesalpinia gilliesii is a shrub in the legume family
. It is commonly known as bird of paradise, but it is not related to the bird of paradise genus Strelitzia
. It grows to 3–4 m tall. The leaves are bipinnate, 10–15 cm long, bearing 3-10 pairs of pinnae, each with 6-10 pairs of leaflets 5–6 mm long and 2–4 mm broad. The flowers are borne in raceme
s up to 20 cm long, each flower with five yellow petals with 10 long conspicuous red stamen
s.
It is a striking ornamental plant
native to tropical America
, mainly Argentina
and Uruguay
.
It is naturalised in Texas
, and fairly common in the rest of the southwestern United States, where it is known as bird of paradise bush, desert bird of paradise, yellow bird of paradise, and barba de chivo.
Although it is a tropical plant adapted to dry climate, it also thrives in the climate of Avsa
and neighbouring islands in the south of Sea of Marmara
in northwestern Turkey
, where it is commonly known as Paşabıyığı (Pasabiyigi), Cennetkuşu ağacı (Cennetkusu agaci), which in Turkish means "bird of paradise tree," and Bodurakasya, which means "dwarf acacia".
used this plant and the similar Caesalpinia pulcherrima
, which they called ayoowiri, for curing fever
, sore
s, and cough
. Four grams from the root is also said to induce abortion
in the first trimester of pregnancy. However, it must be noted that the seeds and the green seed pods of this plant are toxic, provoking severe vomiting and other abdominal symptoms.
Fabaceae
The Fabaceae or Leguminosae, commonly known as the legume, pea, or bean family, is a large and economically important family of flowering plants. The group is the third largest land plant family, behind only the Orchidaceae and Asteraceae, with 730 genera and over 19,400 species...
. It is commonly known as bird of paradise, but it is not related to the bird of paradise genus Strelitzia
Strelitzia
Strelitzia is a genus of five species of perennial plants, native to South Africa. The genus is named after the duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, birthplace of Queen Charlotte of the United Kingdom. A common name of the genus is bird of paradise flower, because of a supposed resemblance of its...
. It grows to 3–4 m tall. The leaves are bipinnate, 10–15 cm long, bearing 3-10 pairs of pinnae, each with 6-10 pairs of leaflets 5–6 mm long and 2–4 mm broad. The flowers are borne in raceme
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
s up to 20 cm long, each flower with five yellow petals with 10 long conspicuous red stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s.
It is a striking ornamental plant
Ornamental plant
Ornamental plants are plants that are grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects, as house plants, for cut flowers and specimen display...
native to tropical America
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
, mainly Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
and Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
.
It is naturalised in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, and fairly common in the rest of the southwestern United States, where it is known as bird of paradise bush, desert bird of paradise, yellow bird of paradise, and barba de chivo.
Although it is a tropical plant adapted to dry climate, it also thrives in the climate of Avsa
Avsa
Avşa Island or Türkeli is a Turkish island in the southern Sea of Marmara. It was the classical and Byzantine Aphousia or Ophiousa and was a place of exile during the Byzantine period....
and neighbouring islands in the south of Sea of Marmara
Sea of Marmara
The Sea of Marmara , also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, and in the context of classical antiquity as the Propontis , is the inland sea that connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea, thus separating Turkey's Asian and European parts. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Black...
in northwestern Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, where it is commonly known as Paşabıyığı (Pasabiyigi), Cennetkuşu ağacı (Cennetkusu agaci), which in Turkish means "bird of paradise tree," and Bodurakasya, which means "dwarf acacia".
Medicinal uses
Medicine men of peoples indigenous to the Amazon RainforestAmazon Rainforest
The Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
used this plant and the similar Caesalpinia pulcherrima
Caesalpinia pulcherrima
Caesalpinia pulcherrima is a species of flowering plant in the pea family, Fabaceae, that is native to the tropics and subtropics of the Americas. Its exact origin is unknown due to widespread cultivation...
, which they called ayoowiri, for curing fever
Fever
Fever is a common medical sign characterized by an elevation of temperature above the normal range of due to an increase in the body temperature regulatory set-point. This increase in set-point triggers increased muscle tone and shivering.As a person's temperature increases, there is, in...
, sore
Sore
Sore may refer to:* A mild pain or ache* A small skin ulcer, usually open from skin infection* A slang term for angry* Sore , an Indonesian rock band* Sore, Landes, a village in the Landes département of France* Sore , by Buzzov*en...
s, and cough
Cough
A cough is a sudden and often repetitively occurring reflex which helps to clear the large breathing passages from secretions, irritants, foreign particles and microbes...
. Four grams from the root is also said to induce abortion
Abortifacient
An abortifacient is a substance that induces abortion. Abortifacients for animals that have mated undesirably are known as mismating shots....
in the first trimester of pregnancy. However, it must be noted that the seeds and the green seed pods of this plant are toxic, provoking severe vomiting and other abdominal symptoms.