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flor de San Jose, flor de san josé, palo zorillo

trans-Pecos senna

Habit Shrubs or trees, to 20 m. Leaves mesophyllous to slightly sclerophyllous, 8.5–28.5 cm, hairy, sometimes densely; stipules caducous; extrafloral nectaries 0; leaflet pairs 2–5, blades bicolored, usually obovate to elliptic, sometimes ovate, 20–130 × 10–60 mm. Herbs, perennial, to 0.7 m. Leaves slightly sclerophyllous, 1.5–7.5 cm, hairy; stipules tardily deciduous; extrafloral nectary 1, between leaflet pair, stipitate; leaflet pairs 1, blades broadly, obliquely obovate to oblong-obovate, 15–40 × 10–25 mm.
Racemes

5–55-flowered, not spikelike;

bracts early caducous, to 5 mm.

2–6-flowered;

bracts caducous.

Pedicels

13–28 mm.

6–15 mm.

Flowers

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.

monosymmetric;

calyx persistent into developing fruit, pale green;

corolla yellow, longest petal 8.5–10 mm;

androecium not heterantherous, stamens 7, staminodes 3;

anthers 2.3–3.7 mm, dehiscing by 1 apical pore, apical appendage 0;

gynoecium nearly linear, ovules 16–26;

ovary densely hairy;

style linear.

Legumes

pendulous, flat, straight, 220–370 × 80–140 mm, woody, indehiscent or splitting transversely into woody segments.

erect, flat, straight, 20–40 × 5.5–7.5 mm, corrugated over seeds, dehiscing apically downward, with 1 series of seeds.

Seeds

reddish brown, obovoid to oblong-obovoid.

dull pinkish or grayish brown, pyriform.

2n

= 28.

Senna atomaria

Senna pilosior

Phenology Flowering late winter–late spring. Flowering spring–mid fall.
Habitat Disturbed habitats. Sandy banks, desert washes.
Elevation 0–20 m. (0–100 ft.) 600–1500 m. (2000–4900 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
FL; Mexico (Baja California Sur, Campeche, Chiapas, Colima, Guerrero, Jalisco, México, Michoacán, Nayarit, Oaxaca, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosí, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Yucatán); Central America (including Caribbean Islands); South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela) [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
TX; Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango)
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)

Senna pilosior is the only senna in North America with sepals persisting into fruit development and falling off before fruit matures and dehisces. Persistent sepals are diagnostic to distinguish S. pilosior from the close relatives S. bauhinioides and S. durangensis; the trio is, in fact, characterized by a history of repeated misidentifications (H. S. Irwin and R. C. Barneby 1982).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 11. FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Caesalpinioideae (excluding Mimosoid clade) > Senna Fabaceae > subfam. Caesalpinioideae (excluding Mimosoid clade) > Senna
Sibling taxa
S. alata, S. armata, S. artemisioides, S. bauhinioides, S. corymbosa, S. covesii, S. durangensis, S. hebecarpa, S. hirsuta, S. ligustrina, S. lindheimeriana, S. marilandica, S. mexicana, S. multiglandulosa, S. obtusifolia, S. occidentalis, S. orcuttii, S. pendula, S. pilosior, S. pumilio, S. ripleyana, S. roemeriana, S. surattensis, S. wislizeni
S. alata, S. armata, S. artemisioides, S. atomaria, S. bauhinioides, S. corymbosa, S. covesii, S. durangensis, S. hebecarpa, S. hirsuta, S. ligustrina, S. lindheimeriana, S. marilandica, S. mexicana, S. multiglandulosa, S. obtusifolia, S. occidentalis, S. orcuttii, S. pendula, S. pumilio, S. ripleyana, S. roemeriana, S. surattensis, S. wislizeni
Synonyms Cassia atomaria, C. emarginata Cassia bauhinioides var. pilosior, C. pilosior
Name authority (Linnaeus) H. S. Irwin & Barneby: Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 35: 588. (1982) (B. L. Robinson ex J. F. Macbride) H. S. Irwin & Barneby: Phytologia 44: 500. (1979)
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