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Argentine senna

privet senna

Habit Shrubs or trees, to 3.5 m. Leaves mesophyllous, 5.5–9.5 cm, glabrous or glabrate; stipules caducous; extrafloral nectary 1, between first leaflet pair, sessile or short-stipitate; leaflet pairs 3, blades oblong-lanceolate, 25–60 × 5–14 mm. Herbs, perennial, bushy, to 2 m; branches green.
Leaves

mesophyllous, 10–27 cm, glabrous or glabrate;

stipules caducous;

extrafloral nectaries 1(or 2), base of petiole or, in some leaves, along petiole, sometimes also between first, and rarely subsequent, pair of leaflets, subsessile or shortly stipitate, globose-flattened;

leaflet pairs 4–8, blades obliquely lanceolate, 30–70 × 6–22 mm.

Racemes

4–18-flowered;

bracts caducous.

usually 5–40-flowered;

bracts caducous, green, equal to or shorter than bud.

Pedicels

13–23 mm.

10–26 mm.

Flowers

monosymmetric;

calyx brownish to greenish yellow;

corolla golden yellow, longest petal 8–16 mm;

androecium heterantherous, stamens 7, middle stamens 1/2 as long as abaxial or smaller, staminodes 3;

anthers of middle stamens to 3.6–4.8 mm, of abaxial stamens 5.2–6.5 mm, dehiscing by nearly U-shaped pore, apical appendage inconspicuous;

gynoecium incurved, ovules 34–50;

ovary hairy;

style slightly incurved.

monosymmetric;

calyx greenish or yellowish;

corolla yellow, longest petal 12–25 mm;

androecium heterantherous, stamens 7, staminodes 3;

anthers of middle stamens to 3.6–5 mm, of abaxial stamens 4–5.8 mm, elongated beyond pores, dehiscing by U-shaped pore, apical appendage short, linguiform, thickened;

gynoecium incurved, ovules 36–56;

ovary finely hairy;

style slightly incurved.

Legumes

somewhat pendulous, cylindrical, straight, 40–120 × 6–10 mm, corrugated over seeds, indehiscent.

ascending, subcylindrical, slightly curved, 70–140 × 5–8.5 mm, corrugated over seeds, indehiscent.

Seeds

dull brown or dark reddish brown, obliquely obovoid or oblong-ellipsoid.

olive green or smoke-gray, obovoid to oblong-ellipsoid.

2n

= 28.

Senna corymbosa

Senna ligustrina

Phenology Flowering early winter–mid spring. Flowering mid summer–early spring (year-round).
Habitat Thickets, brushy stream and river banks, waste places. Open woodlands, thickets, hammocks, pastures, roadsides.
Elevation 0–500 m. (0–1600 ft.) 0–40 m. (0–100 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
FL; GA; LA; MS; SC; TX; s South America
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
FL; West Indies; Central America (Panama)
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Senna corymbosa has been cultivated for over two centuries and is a common ornamental in many botanical gardens worldwide; it has become naturalized in warmer western Europe and South Africa (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. atomaria, S. bauhinioides, 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. 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
Synonyms Cassia corymbosa, Adipera corymbosa Cassia ligustrina, C. bahamensis, C. turquinae, Ditremexa confusa, D. ligustrina, Peiranisia turquinae
Name authority (Lamarck) H. S. Irwin & Barneby: Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 35: 397. (1982) (Linnaeus) H. S. Irwin & Barneby: Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 35: 409. (1982)
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