Cajanus cajan: African pigeon pea, cadjan pea, cajan, catjan pea, catjang, Congo beans, Congo pea, dhal, dhal bean, green peas, no-eye pea, peas, pigeon pea, red gram

Cajanus cajan is used for food ("Pigeon Pea"), herbage, green fertilizer, and medicine. It is particularly valued in areas of low erratic rainfall.

Common Names

in English: African pigeon pea, cadjan pea, cajan, catjan pea, catjang, Congo beans, Congo pea, dhal, dhal bean, green peas, no-eye pea, peas, pigeon pea, red gram

in Benin: adjayi klwékoun, blikodje, eklwi, ofiri, otili, otinini

in Burundi: agacaruzo, inkunde, urucaruzo

in Comoros: ambrevade, mtsongi

in Congo: kassa, nwandu, wandu

in Gabon: bésangé-bé-djélé, butsangi-bu-muri, modjangi-agétété, mutsangi-a-mwiri, osangé-w’éréré, osangé w’orungu, osang’éréré, osang-éli, uhangé-mwa-mulungu

in India: aadhaki, adagam, adagi, adaki, adhaki, amakam, amam, arahar, arahar dall, arardal, arhar, arhar dal, arhardal, atacai, atakam, ataki, athaki, baele, byale, candaloo, catjan, chinnacandi, cinnakandi, condacandaloo, curattam, dahl, dalu, dangri, dhaal, dhal, duvarai, errakandulu, ettakandulu, huklek, ihora, impurupali, irumpali, iruppappuli, iruppuli, iruppulikam, iruppulikamaram, iyavai, iyavu, iyavucceti, kacci, kaccikacceti, kaccikam, kakshi, kalvayam, kalvayamaram, kandhi, kandi, kandool, kandu, kandul, kandulu, kanti, karaviram, kari uddu, kariuddu, kariyuddu, kariyudu, karkai, karkaicceti, karvirabhuja, kattu-thovarai, kattuthovarai, kaycci, kecapukacceti, kecapukam, kondakandi, kunthaloo, kuvalam, kuvalamaram, laher, mairongbi, malaittuvarai, malikaittuvarai, malur, miruttalakam, miruttanam, miruttanam yarai, mritana, mrittala, mrittalaka, muluttuvarai, naiciravam, naiciravamaram, nattuttuvarai, oroha, oror, paruppu, pataippeyan, pataippeyanmaram, peddacandi, peddakandi, peddakondakandi, peddakondakandulu, pitapushpa, polukandi, potujandalu, potukandi, potukandulu, rahar, rahar dal, rahban, rahor, rohor mar, shakhil, shakull, shanapushpika, shanapushpikaa, shaz, sinnakandi, soopyah, soppyah, supya, surashtaja, thaka, thakak, thogari bele, thogarukoy, thoora, thoori, thoovar, thorapaerou, thoraporu, thugari bele, thurukara thogari, thuvara parippu, thuvarai, thuvarchilakkaaram, togari, tor, torai, tuar, tuberika, tumara, tur, turi, turukutogari, tuur, tuvar, tuvara, tuvaracatjan, tuvarai, tuvarai-p-paruppu, tuvaraippayaru, tuvarankay, tuvarapparippu, tuvari, tuvarika, tuvarikam, tuver, tuvvar, tuwaran, vellaittuvarai, vritabija, yarai, yerracandaloo, yerrakandi

in Kenya: mbaazi, mbalazi, mbanzi, mbubalazi, mubalazi, mucugu, musuu, muusu, nangu, ncugu, ngogu, njugu, nzuu, obong

in Madagascar: ambarivatry, ambatribe, ambatry, ambaty, amberivatry, ambote, ambraty, ambrevade, ambrevate, antsotry, bokan’ambatry

in Rwanda: intenderwa, umukunde

in Senegal: waken-masar, waken-turawa

in Sierra Leone: Congo binch, e-konsho, kollgo-binch, kongo-binch

in Southern Africa: duiwe-ertjie, Kongoboontjie, mbaasi

in Tanzania: madohola, mbaazi, mbaazi-in Togo: eklui

in Uganda: apena, empinamuti, enkolimbo, ntondigwa

in Yoruba: otili, otinli

in China: mu dou, shan tou ken, chieh tu, chieh tu tzu

in Japan: ki-mame, Ryûkyû mame

Malayan name: kachang kayu

in Nepal: rahar

in the Philippines: gablas, gablos, kadios, kagios, kagyos, kagyus, kaldis, kalios, kardis, kidis, kudis, tabios

in Thailand: ma-hae, ma-hae-ton, thua-mae-tai, thua-rae, thua-raet

in Tibet: tu ba ri, tu pa rip

in Hawaii: pi nunu, pi pokoliko

in South America: cuandu, gandul, guandu, mumacriri, wandu

Floral Description:

According to Flora of Pakistan

Erect shrub, 1.5-4 m tall, stem pubescent. Leaf pinnately trifoliolate, leaflets 2.5-10 cm long, 1.5-3.5 cm broad, elliptic to lanceolate, acute, velvety pubescent above, pilose beneath, both surfaces glandular; petiole 1.0-5.5 cm long, rachis 8-13 mm long; petiolules present. Inflorescence a terminal panicle, peduncle 2-7 cm long. Bracts c. 8 mm long. Pedicel 1-1.7 cm long, pubescent. Calyx velvety pubescent and glandular, tube 5 mm long, teeth 4-7 mm long. Corolla bright yellow with reddish brown or crimson lines. Vexillum 1.2-1.7 cm in diameter. Fruit 4.5-10 cm long, 8-14 mm broad, pubescent and glandular.

According to Flora of China

Shrubs, erect, 1-3 m tall. Branchlets gray pubescent. Leaves pinnately 3-foliolate; stipules small, ovate-lanceolate, 0.2-3 mm; petiole 1.5-5 cm, sparsely pubescent; stipels ex­tremely small; petiolules 1-5 mm, hairy; leaflets lanceolate to elliptic, 2.8-10 × 0.5-3.5 cm, papery, abaxial surface densely pubescent and with inconspicuous yellow glands, adaxial sur­face pubescent, apex acute or acuminate, usually mucronate. Raceme 3-7 cm; peduncle 2-4 cm; few flowers terminal or al­most terminal; bracts ovate-elliptic. Calyx campanulate, 5-7 mm; lobes triangular or lanceolate, pubescent. Corolla yellow, ca. 3 × calyx in length; standard suborbicular, with inflexed auricle; wings slightly obovate, with short auricle; keel apex ob­tuse, slightly inflexed. Ovary hairy; ovules several; style long, linear, glabrous; stigma capitate. Legume linear-oblong, ± in­flated, 4-8.5 × 0.6-1.2 cm, dun pubescent, apex beaked, acumi­nate, long mucronate. Seeds 3-6, gray, sometimes with brown spots, subspherical, ca. 5 mm in diam., slightly compressed; strophiole absent.

Chemical Constitutes:

1,3,7-Trihydroxyxanthone, 2',6'-Dihydroxy-4'-methoxychalcone, 2'-Hydroxygenistein, 2'-O-Methylcajanone, 3-Hydroxy-4-isopentenyl-5-methoxybibenzyl-2-carboxylic acid, 3-Hydroxy-4-isopentenyl-5-methoxystilbene, 3-Hydroxy-5-methoxy-6-prenylstilbene-2-carboxylic acid, 3-Hydroxy-5-methoxystilbene-2-carboxylic acid, Cajaflavanone, Cajaisoflavone, Cajanin, Cajanol, Cajanone, Daidzein, Ferreirin, Isogenistein 7-O-glucoside, Isowighteone, Longistyline C, Lupinisoflavone A

Activities and Uses:

Leaves decoction for measles, cough, diarrhea, abdominal troubles, catarrh and hepatitis; sap of leaves, drops in eyes, for epilepsy; powdered leaves applied to sores; leaf juice given for flu, jaundice and as a poison antidote; leaf infusion baths for stroke and bewitchment; green leaves hypocholesterolemic, hypoglycemic and antimicrobial; poultice of the young leaves used for burning skin and gums inflammation; young leaves chewed for curing reddish sores on tongue, spongy gums, aphthae; leaves decoction drunk by pregnant women for easy delivery. Flowers paste or leaf paste applied on sores of mouth and

tongue. Boil the roots, drink the decoction to cure food poisoning from eating bad fish; roots for mental illness. Seeds used in snakebite; seed coat powder applied as a paste on skin eruptions, when mixed with root powder of Cordia dichotoma in severe toothache; boiled seed juice taken in jaundice; juice from the seeds put into the ear for earache; seeds and leaves made into a warm paste applied over the mammae to check secretion of milk. Veterinary medicine, cooked leaves fed to cattle with diarrhea.

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