Calliandra houstoniana var. calothyrsus (Meisn.) Barneby

Kaliandra merah (Calliandra houstoniana var. calothyrsus) is a shrub 1-6 meters tall from the Fabaceae family that originates from Mexico and Central America, known as a fast-growing nitrogen-fixing tree tolerant of acidic soil. This plant is widely used in agroforestry systems and animal feed throughout the tropical world. Kaliandra merah is traditionally believed to relieve rheumatism and has antimicrobial properties.

C. houstoniana var. calothyrsus is found from sea level up to 1,860 m asl, in areas where annual rainfall ranges from 700 to 4,000 mm, a dry season of 3-6 months, and an average annual temperature between 22 to 28 °C. Kaliandra merah is able to grow in various soil types but prefers light-textured, slightly acidic soil (sandy loam, sandy clay loam or sandy clay). This plant can tolerate infertile and compacted soil or soil with poor aeration but does not tolerate waterlogged and alkaline soil. This species is susceptible to frost but has considerable cold tolerance for a tropical species (tolerating temperatures only above at least 1 °C). Prefers sunny situations in reasonably moist soil.

• Roots taproot with very numerous finer roots that extend to the soil surface. If rhizobia and mycorrhizae are present in the soil, an association will form between the fungi and root nodules.
• Stem cylindrical, maximum diameter 20 cm, branched, bark red or gray covered with small oval pale lenticels. Toward the shoot tip the stem tends to be striated, and in trees with reddish-brown stems, the stem tip can have a red tinge.
• Leaves green, bipinnate (doubly pinnate compound), alternate, leaf blade linear with a smooth margin.
• Flowers compound in a raceme, cup-shaped with five regularly arranged petals. Many long red filaments emerge from the top of the flower cup. These filaments connect into a tube at the base of the flower, which is at least twice the length of the flower.
• Fruit a pod, up to 14 cm long and 2 cm wide. The pod is straight and somewhat brown, containing 8-12 ovules that will develop into seeds.
• Seeds oval, flattened, mature seeds spotted black and brown, with a characteristic horseshoe-shaped mark on both flat surfaces. Ripe seeds can reach 8 mm long and are hard when pressed with a fingernail.

• Propagation is done generatively with seeds and vegetatively from succulent young seedlings or from root suckers.
• Propagation by seed requires scarification with a simple treatment to speed up germination. Cutting or making a small hole through the seed coat should be done for small quantities of seeds. Use a knife or nail clipper to do this. After cutting, soak the seeds for 12-24 hours before sowing. This cutting is impractical if the number of seeds is large. Instead, seeds are soaked in cold water for about 24 hours.

Tocopherol compounds, carotenoids, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, alkaloids, steroids, gallic acid, methyl gallate, myricitrin, quercitrin, myricetin 3-O-α-D4C1-glucopyranoside, afzelin, isoquercitrin, myricetin 3-O-(6″-O-galloyl)-α-D glucopyranoside, myricitrin 2″-O-gallate, quercitrin 2″-O-gallate, afzelin 2″-O-gallate, 1,2,3,4,6-penta-O-galloyl-α-D-4C1-glucopyranoside, myricitrin 2″,3″-di-O-gallate, quercetin 3-O-methyl ether, 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzoic acid, caffeic acid, betulinic acid, digitalis glycosides, glycosides, fatty acids, polyphenol, anthraquinone.

As a remedy for rheumatism, sedative, shortness of breath, uterine cancer, arthritis, and a blood cleanser as well as contraceptive, can also be used as an anthelmintic (worm remedy), antidiarrheal, antispasmodic, antipyretic, anticholinergic, anticonvulsant, analgesic, antiulcerogenic, has antimicrobial properties against the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus gallinarum.

• Prepare fresh kaliandra merah leaves as needed and wash with clean water.
• After clean, drain to remove excess wash water.
• Slice at 1.5 cm width so the drying process occurs faster.
• Dry by air-drying in a place protected from sunlight.
• Blend the dried leaves into powder then sieve with a 60-mesh sieve.
• Store in a clean, airtight container.

No information found. Further research needed.