Senna atomaria
Senna alata
flor de San Jose, flor de san josé, palo zorillo
candle bush, candlestick senna, Emperor's candlesticks
5–55-flowered, not spikelike;
bracts early caducous, to 5 mm.
40+-flowered, spikelike, bearing flowers in conelike head, often apparently terminal;
bracts conspicuous, covering buds, caducous as pedicel elongates, firm, yellow to light orange, 10+ mm.
13–28 mm.
4–11 mm.
asymmetric, enantiostylous;
calyx greenish to yellow;
corolla yellow-orange, slightly dark-veined, longest petal 12–23 mm, highly asymmetric, 1 or both lower petals highly modified, strongly concave and folded over stamens (flag-shaped);
androecium slightly heterantherous, stamens 7 (similar in shape and size, abaxial ones slightly longer), staminodes 3;
anthers 2.8–5 mm, dehiscing by 2 short slits, apical appendage 0;
gynoecium incurved, ovules 46–70;
ovary glabrate, sometimes becoming hairy after fertilization;
style stout.
asymmetric (enantiostylous);
calyx yellow;
corolla bright yellow to yellow-orange, bowl-shaped, petals monosymmetric, lower and upper petals similar in shape, firm, strongly concave, longest petal 15–24 mm;
androecium heterantherous, stamens 7, staminodes 3;
anthers of middle stamens 2.6–4 mm, of abaxial stamens 9.5–13 mm, dehiscing by 1 or 2 short slits, apical appendage 0;
gynoecium incurved, ovules 44–58;
ovary densely hairy;
style incurved.
pendulous, flat, straight, 220–370 × 80–140 mm, woody, indehiscent or splitting transversely into woody segments.
ascending, flat, straight or slightly curved, tetragonal, 110–190 × 9–12 mm, carinate by sutures and winged along middle of each valve, tardily dehiscent.
reddish brown, obovoid to oblong-obovoid.
dark brown, rhomboid.
= 24.
Senna atomaria
Senna alata
As with other trees from deciduous and semi-deciduous vegetation, Senna atomaria is covered with flowers before developing the foliage (H. S. Irwin and R. C. Barneby 1982). In the flora area, it occurs naturalized only very locally in Collier County (R. P. Wunderlin et al., http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Due to its attractive candlelike yellow inflorescences, Senna alata has been cultivated worldwide. In addition to its laxative properties, S. alata, sometimes called ringworm senna or ringworm bush, may be useful as a treatment for ringworm and other fungal infections (S. Palanichamy and S. Nagarajan 1990; H. Martin and M’P. Bindanda 2008). Likely native to tropical northern South America (H. S. Irwin and R. C. Barneby 1981), S. alata is now naturalized and listed as weedy in many countries outside the flora area (W. T. Parsons and E. G. Cuthbertson 2001; Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER) 2006, http://www.hear.org/pier/species/senna_alata.htm).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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