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climbing cassia, valamuerto

glaucous senna, glossy shower

Habit 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

usually 5–21-flowered;

bracts late caducous.

Pedicels

16–25 mm.

Flowers

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

Seeds

dark reddish brown, oblong-ellipsoid.

Senna

pendula is often confused with close relative S. bicapsularis, which is absent from North America and has shorter pedicels, only to 5 mm (H.

s

. Irwin and R.

c

.

Barneby

1982;

B.

Marazzi

et al.

2006b

).

Senna pendula

Senna surattensis

Phenology Flowering late winter–late fall.
Habitat Habitat unknown.
Elevation 0–10 m. (0–0 ft.)
Distribution
from USDA
Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies [Introduced, Florida; introduced also in Africa (South Africa), Pacific Islands, Australia]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[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

Varieties 18–20 (1 in the flora).

(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. 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
S. pendula var. glabrata
Synonyms Cassia pendula, Chamaefistula pendula Cassia surattensis, C. fastigiata, C. suffruticosa, C. surattensis subsp. suffruticosa, Psilorhegma suffruticosa, S. speciosa
Name authority (Humboldt & Bonpland ex Willdenow) H. S. Irwin & Barneby: Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 35: 378. (1982) (Burman f.) H. S. Irwin & Barneby: Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 35: 81. (1982)
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