Identification
This native perennial plant grows to 6 feet tall. It has alternate, pinnately compound leaves. There are 6-8 pairs of leaflets, which are oblong or elliptic (B,F). At the base of the leaf stalk (petiole) a single, brown gland can be seen (D). The showy yellow flowers have 5 irregularly spaced petals and stamens with prominent brown tips (A). The long, curved, segmented pods up to 5 inches long often persist on the plant through the winter (C,E).
A plant of open woods and prairies, it is rare at Fontenelle Forest with only a single floodplain occurrence to date. It is also rare at Neale Woods at the site of an old garden near entrance kiosk where it likely was planted. Flowering occurs in July and August.
Wild Senna is a host plant for the caterpillar of the Cloudless Sulphur butterfly.
The content of NatureSearch is provided by dedicated volunteer Naturalists of Fontenelle Forest who strive to provide the most accurate information available. Contributors of the images retain their copyrights. The point of contact for this page is: Roland Barth.