Senna corymbosa (Lam.) H.S.Irwin & Barneby

Argentine senna (en), Séné en corymbe (fr)

Species

Angiosperms > Fabales > Fabaceae > Senna

Characteristics

Perennial with woody branching stems forming an erect shrub 2-3 m high. Stems terete, faintly longitudinally striated, glabrous. Leaves: petiole and rhachis 2.5-6 cm long; stipules linear, acute to acuminate, 3-4 mm long, ±0.5 mm wide, early caducous, each scar on a small cushion; petiole 1.5-3 cm long, including basal pulvinus, petiolar gland lacking; rhachis channelled adaxially with a stalked, clavate, greenish gland between lowest pair of leaflets only; leaflets in 2-3 pairs, lanceolate, (2-)3-6 cm long, 0.6-1.5 cm wide, uppermost pair largest, bases slightly asymmetric, broadly cuneate to rounded, apices acute, margins yellow, glabrous, surfaces glabrous. Inflorescences axillary, towards the ends of primary, or short axillary branches, forming pseudo-panicles, racemes 4.5-6 cm long at flowering, slightly longer and stronger at fruiting, usually ± equalling subtending leaves; bracts ±2 mm long, ±0.5 mm wide at base, acerose, ± pubescent with curved hairs, caducous; pedicels at flowering, up to 2.5 cm long, ± sparsely pubescent with curved hairs, stronger but hardly longer at fruiting. Sepals obtuse, margins shortly ciliate. Petals obovate, 1-1.5 cm long, ±1 cm wide, bright yellow, brown-veined with age. Stamens 10: 3 staminodal (adaxial) ± oblanceolate, flattened, ±4 mm long including filament; 7 functional (4 lateral medium, 3 abaxial large, of which the central is slightly shorter, longest filament 8-10 mm), dehiscence porose. Ovaries pubescent with white curved, appressed hairs especially along valves, sutures ± glabrous; styles 3-4 mm long, ± straight, usually lying at right angle to pod, glabrous; stigmas narrowed, slightly hooded, minutely ciliate. Pods slightly upwardly curved, ±10 cm long, shortly stalked, apically rounded, terete, inflated, valves membranous, not or tardily dehiscent. Seeds laterally compressed, elliptic or elliptic-ovate, ±5 mm long, 3-4 mm wide, testa brown, smooth, areoles lacking.
More
Shrub to 3 m tall, glabrous throughout, except for strigulose leaflet stalks and ovary. Leaves 5-15 cm long, the petiole 1.5-4 cm long, a fusiform or claviform nectary borne between the lowest and often the more distal pairs of leaflets; leaflets 2-3 pairs, narrowly lanceolate-elliptic, the terminal pair 2-8 cm long x 0.8-2 cm wide, apex acute, base asymmetric. Inflorescences of corymbiform racemes 5-8 cm long, usually terminal on the branches and exserted above the foliage, flowers 5-10 per raceme; sepals obovate, unequal; petals obovate, 0.6-1 cm long; fertile stamens 7, the lowermost abaxial stamen only slightly smaller than the 2 long abaxial stamens, anthers truncately beaked, obliquely so in the 4 shorter median stamens, dehiscent by 2 confluent terminal pores; ovary strigulose, stigma minutely porate. Fruits linear-oblong, cylindrical, 6-12 cm long x 0.6-1 cm in diameter; valves papery, brown, separating in 2 layers, internally septate and pulpy, glabrous; seeds in 1 row, obovate, glossy, lacking an areole.
Shrub, spreading, to 3 m tall, glabrous. Leaves 4-6 cm long including a ribbed petiole 20-35 mm long; stipules acicular, caducous; leaflets in 2-3 pairs spaced 12-20 mm apart, narrowly to broadly lanceolate, 25-50 mm long, 8-12 mm wide, increasing distally, acute; gland 1, between the lowest leaflet pair, erect. Inflorescence of 15-20 flowers, terminal and in upper axils, paniculate; peduncle 20-30 mm long; pedicels 12-18 mm long; bracts caducous. Petals to 15 mm long. Fertile stamens 6 or 7, with 3 adaxial and sometimes 1 abaxial staminodes; fertile filaments distinctly unequal, 4-12 mm long; fertile anthers unequal, 4-7 mm long. Pod cylindric, to 15 cm long, c. 10 mm diam., curved, entire. Seeds dull or lustrous.
Shrub, up to 3 m high. Leaflets glabrous abaxially, lanceolate, 30-60 x 6-15 mm, margins yellow, usually in 3, occasionally in 2, pairs. Ovaries with valves appressed pubescent. Flowers bright yellow and brown-veined.
Life form perennial
Growth form shrub
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) 1.5 - 2.5
Mature height (meter) 2.5 - 3.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

Light 6-8
Soil humidity 2-7
Soil texture -
Soil acidity 2-8
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 10-12

Usage

Uses coffee substitute environmental use erosion control food hedge leaf vegetable manure medicinal ornamental potherb shade
Edible leaves pods seeds
Therapeutic use Convulsion(Pediatric) (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by cuttings or seedlings.
Mode cuttings seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Habit

Senna corymbosa habit picture by Muzzachiodi Norberto (cc-by-sa)

Leaf

Senna corymbosa leaf picture by Trap Hers (cc-by-sa)
Senna corymbosa leaf picture by cabana carlos manuel (cc-by-sa)
Senna corymbosa leaf picture by Augusto Casandra (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Senna corymbosa flower picture by Tuduri Javier (cc-by-sa)
Senna corymbosa flower picture by cabana carlos manuel (cc-by-sa)
Senna corymbosa flower picture by Juan Castellanos (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Senna corymbosa fruit picture by Trap Hers (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Senna corymbosa world distribution map, present in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, India, Mauritius, Pakistan, Uruguay, United States of America, and South Africa

Conservation status

Senna corymbosa threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:234450-2
WFO ID wfo-0000163689
COL ID 4WP8W
BDTFX ID 164629
INPN ID 89289
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Cassia corymbosa Chamaefistula corymbosa Cassia crassifolia Cassia falcata Adipera corymbosa Cassia bonariensis Cassia floribunda Senna corymbosa