Wild Senna

(Senna hebecarpa)

Wild Senna (Senna hebecarpa [Fern.] Irwin and Barneby)

Identification: Flowers yellow with 5 concave, arched petals, 3 above and 2 below. Stamens unequal in length and with rich, brown anthers. Pistil covered with fine, white hair. Seedpods elongate, slightly curved, jointed. Pod segments are longer in length than they are in width. Leaves divided into 5 to 10 pairs of opposite leaflets. A ovate gland on a short petiole is located at the base of the leaf petiole. Plant 3 to 6 feet in height.

Distribution: Wisconsin in the west to New England in the east, southward to Georgia and Tennessee.

Habitat: Wild Senna is found in fields, power line right-of-ways, and thickets.

Flowering period: July to August.

Similar Species: The closely related species Senna marilandica (not treated here) is commonly found in the same habitats. The seedpods of Senna marilandica have the segments equal in length and width. The gland at the base of leaf petiole lacks a pedicel and is either cylindrical or conic.