Sicklepod

(Senna tora)

 

   

 

 

Color Photograph: Agricultural Extension Service, University of Tennessee.

Line Drawing: Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada, Second Edition.

 

Sicklepod (Senna tora [L.] Roxb.)

Identification: Flowers yellow with 5 broad petals. Sepals elongate, pointed, and narrow. Flowers arise from the top leaf axils. Seedpods elongate, narrow, and highly curved. Leaves divided into 2 or 3 opposite pairs of broad leaflets. Plant 1.5 to 2 feet in height.

Distribution: Kansas and Illinois in the west and Pennsylvania in the east, southward to Florida and Texas.

Habitat: Sicklepod is usually found in rich, wet soils, such as river banks. Sometimes also found in disturbed habitats.

Flowering period: July to September.

Similar Species: The small number of broad leaflets and the elongate, curved seedpod are distinctive.

Copyright Nearctica.com, Inc. 2003. All rights reserved.