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Argentine senna

glaucous senna, glossy shower

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. Shrubs or trees, to 4(–6) m. Leaves mesophyllous, 8–18 cm, finely, densely hairy; stipules caducous; extrafloral nectaries 1–3, between first only, or also subsequent, leaflet pairs, sessile; leaflet pairs 6–10, blades obovate, obovate-elliptic, oblanceolate-obtuse, 20–50 × 8–20 mm.
Racemes

4–18-flowered;

bracts caducous.

usually 5–21-flowered;

bracts late caducous.

Pedicels

13–23 mm.

16–25 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.

slightly asymmetric;

calyx greenish;

corolla pale yellow, longest petal 16–24 mm;

androecium heterantherous, stamens 10, staminodes 0;

anthers of 9 short stamens 4–5.2 mm, of 1 long stamen 4.5–6.5 mm, dehiscing by 2 pores, apical appendage 0;

gynoecium slightly incurved, ovules 18–30;

ovary slightly hairy;

style slightly incurved.

Legumes

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

somewhat pendulous, flat, slightly curved, 70–100 × 11–15 mm, slightly corrugated over seeds, indehiscent.

Seeds

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

dark reddish brown, oblong-ellipsoid.

2n

= 28.

Senna corymbosa

Senna surattensis

Phenology Flowering early winter–mid spring. Flowering late winter–late fall.
Habitat Thickets, brushy stream and river banks, waste places. Habitat unknown.
Elevation 0–500 m. (0–1600 ft.) 0–10 m. (0–0 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
FL; GA; LA; MS; SC; TX; s South America
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
FL; Asia; Africa; Pacific Islands; Australia [Introduced in North America; introduced also in West Indies (Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Saint Vincent)]
[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.)

Senna surattensis has been cultivated for centuries as an ornamental in tropical regions, making inference about its origin and native range of geographic distribution a matter of speculation (G. Bentham 1863–1878; D. E. Symon 1966; H. S. Irwin and R. C. Barneby 1982). In North America it is cultivated in California and Texas in addition to Florida (D. Isely 1998). Senna surattensis is often confused with S. multiglandulosa; they are similar in habit and widely cultivated, but S. surattensis possesses seven heterantherous stamens and three staminodes. The similar and closely related S. sulfurea (Colladon) H. S. Lewis & Barneby (with two long stamens instead of one) was considered a subspecies of S. surattensis by B. R. Randell (1989).

(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. 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. wislizeni
Synonyms Cassia corymbosa, Adipera corymbosa Cassia surattensis, C. fastigiata, C. suffruticosa, C. surattensis subsp. suffruticosa, Psilorhegma suffruticosa, S. speciosa
Name authority (Lamarck) H. S. Irwin & Barneby: Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 35: 397. (1982) (Burman f.) H. S. Irwin & Barneby: Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 35: 81. (1982)
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