Kingdom Plantae Family Fabaceae Genus Senna | Order Fabales Subfamily Caesalpinioideae Rank Species | |
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Similar Senna armata, Senna gaudichaudii, Senna wislizeni, Senna bacillaris, Senna petersiana | ||
Senna odorata, fragrant senna, spreading cassia or southern cassia, is a species of flowering plant in the legume family.
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Description
S. odorata can usually reach a height of 1.5–2.4 m (4 ft 11 in–7 ft 10 in), but this upright perennial shrub may become a tree. It has paripinnate alternate leaves, with six to 12 pairs of leathery textured, slender, oval leaflets. Flowers are bright yellow and cup-shaped, arranged in small clusters. They are lightly fragrant (hence the scientific epithet odorata of the species, meaning odorous). The flowering period extends from midspring to early summer. The fruits are flat legume pods with many small seeds.
Distribution
This species is native to the forest edges of Australia (southern Queensland, south to New South Wales). It has been introduced in India and Mauritius.