Senna pendula |
Senna marilandica |
|
|---|---|---|
|
climbing cassia, valamuerto |
Maryland senna, wild senna |
|
| Habit | Herbs, perennial, to 0.6–2 m. | |
| Leaves | mesophyllous, 12–27 cm, finely hairy; stipules caducous; extrafloral nectary 1, base of or along petiole, sessile or shortly stipitate; leaflet pairs 5–9, blades elliptic, oblong-elliptic, or lanceolate, 30–60 × 9–24 mm. |
|
| Racemes | usually 5–15-flowered; bracts caducous. |
|
| Pedicels | 9–17 mm. |
|
| Flowers | monosymmetric; calyx pinkish brown; corolla yellow, longest petal 8–14 mm; androecium heterantherous, stamens 7, staminodes 3; anthers of middle stamens 2.6–3.5 mm, of abaxial stamens 4–5 mm, truncate, dehiscing by 2 pores, apical appendage 0; gynoecium incurved, ovules 20–28; ovary glabrous or slightly hairy; style incurved, not dilated. |
|
| Legumes | ascending, flat, curved downward, 65–110 × 7.5–11 mm, corrugated over seeds, tardily dehiscent, each seed compartment wider than long. |
|
| Seeds | dark reddish brown, obovoid or oblong-obovoid. |
|
| 2n | = 28. |
|
Senna pendula |
Senna marilandica |
|
| Phenology | Flowering mid summer–early fall. | |
| Habitat | Open woodlands, valley floors, creek banks, swamps, thickets, pastures. | |
| Elevation | 0–500 m. [0–1600 ft.] | |
| Distribution |
Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies [Introduced, Florida; introduced also in Africa (South Africa), Pacific Islands, Australia]
|
AL; AR; CA; CT; DC; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; MO; MS; NC; NE; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA; WI; WV
|
| Discussion | Varieties 18–20 (1 in the flora). 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). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Senna marilandica is introduced in southern California. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
| Parent taxa | ||
| Sibling taxa | ||
| Subordinate taxa | ||
| Synonyms | Cassia pendula, Chamaefistula pendula | Cassia marilandica, C. reflexa, Ditremexa marilandica, D. medsgeri, D. nashii, S. riparia |
| Name authority | (Humboldt & Bonpland ex Willdenow) H. S. Irwin & Barneby: Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 35: 378. (1982) | (Linnaeus) Link: Handbuch 2: 140. (1829) — (as marylandica) |
| Source | FNA vol. 11. | FNA vol. 11. |
| Web links | ||