Avarampoo in English, Telugu, Hindi and Other Languages

Avarampoo in English

There is no single everyday English word for avarampoo. The two English names in use are tanner’s cassia — the bark of the shrub was once used to tan leather — and avaram senna, which simply joins the Tamil name to the genus.

Most English-language sources, and most shoppers, simply say avarampoo or avaram flower. “Poo” is Tamil for flower, so avarampoo means the flower of the avaram shrub.

Avarampoo in other languages

The same shrub grows across the dry parts of South India and Sri Lanka, so it has a name in most regional languages. Spellings vary by region and source.

• Tamil — avaram, avarampoo (ஆவாரம் பூ), sometimes avarai
• Telugu — tangedu (తంగేడు); the flower is tangedu puvvu
• Kannada — avarike
• Malayalam — avara (ആവര)
• Hindi — tarwar or tarvar
• Marathi — tarwad (तरवड)
• Sinhala — ranawara (රණවරා)
• English — tanner’s cassia, avaram senna

Botanical name and family

The botanical name is Senna auriculata. Older books and many product labels still use Cassia auriculata, the name it carried before the Senna species were separated from Cassia; both refer to the same plant.

It belongs to Fabaceae, the legume or pea family — the same family as tamarind and the many other sennas.

Is avarampoo a plant or a tree?

Avaram is a branching shrub, not a tree. It has feathery, divided leaves and clusters of bright yellow flowers, and it grows wild on dry scrubland, roadsides and wasteland — the country around Coimbatore and much of interior Tamil Nadu.

Tangedu and Bathukamma

In Telangana, tangedu is the state flower. Its yellow blooms are among the flowers stacked into the cone-shaped arrangements of Bathukamma, the autumn flower festival — which is why “avarampoo in Telugu” is such a common search.

Buying dried avarampoo

THENVANAM Avarampoo Flower is 100% Senna auriculata flowers, whole and dried — not ground — so you can see exactly what is in the pack. Good dried avarampoo is golden to bright yellow, with whole petals and a clean, dry smell; avoid packs that look dusty, brown or smell musty.

The flowers are boiled in water, strained and the water used in traditional bath and face preparations. See the avarampoo guide for the full method, and patch test before first use.