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- Senna hebecarpa
Senna hebecarpa — northern wild senna
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New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
Found this plant? Take a photo and post a sighting.
Facts
Northern wild senna was once widespread throughout New England, but has been reduced to half a dozen of the 95 documented populations. It occurs in disturbed habitats with damp soil, and despite its rarity the plant is vigorous and self-seeding in garden conditions.
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), floodplain (river or stream floodplains), forest edges, meadows and fields, shores of rivers or lakes
Characteristics
- Habitat
-
- terrestrial
- wetlands
- Flower petal color
- yellow
- Leaf type
- the leaves are compound (made up of two or more discrete leaflets
- Leaf arrangement
- alternate: there is one leaf per node along the stem
- Leaf blade edges
- the edge of the leaf blade is entire (has no teeth or lobes)
- Flower symmetry
- there is no way to evenly divide the flower (the flower is asymmetrical)
- Number of sepals, petals or tepals
- there are five petals, sepals, or tepals in the flower
- Fusion of sepals and petals
-
- both the petals and sepals are separate and not fused
- the petals or the sepals are fused into a cup or tube
- Stamen number
- 7
- Fruit type (general)
-
- the fruit is dry and splits open when ripe
- the fruit is dry but does not split open when ripe
- Fruit length
- 70–120 mm
-
Clonal plantlets
- Bulbils
- the plant does not appear to have bulbils
- Bulblets replace flowers
- there are no bulblets where the flowers are located
-
Flowers
- Anther attachment
- the anther is attached by its base to the filament
- Anther opening
- the anthers have small holes or openings at the tips
- Anther spurs
- the anthers do not have spurs on them
- Calyx symmetry
- there is only one way to evenly divide the calyx (the calyx is bilaterally symmetrical)
- Carpels fused
-
- NA
- the carpel is solitary or (if 2 or more) the carpels are not fused to one another
- Cleistogamous flowers
- there are no cleistogamous flowers on the plan
- Corolla morphology
- NA
- Corolla palate
- no
- Corona lobe length
- 0 mm
- Epicalyx
- the flower does not have an epicalyx
- Epicalyx number of parts
- 0
- Filament surface
- the filament is smooth, with no hairs or scales
- Flower description
- the flower has a superior ovary and a hypanthium
- Flower diameter
- 16–20 mm
- Flower number
- 9–20
- Flower orientation
- the flower points upwards or is angled outwards
- Flower petal color
- yellow
- Flower reproductive parts
- the flower has both pollen- and seed-producing parts
- Flower symmetry
- there is no way to evenly divide the flower (the flower is asymmetrical)
- Flowers sunken into stem
- no
- Form of style
- the style is narrow at the tip and unbranched
- Fused stamen clusters
- NA
- Fusion of sepals and petals
-
- both the petals and sepals are separate and not fused
- the petals or the sepals are fused into a cup or tube
- Hairs on flower stalk
- the flower stalk has hairs on it
- Hairs on inflorescence
- the axis of the inflorescence has hairs entirely without glands
- Horns in hoods (Asclepias)
- NA
- Hypanthium
- the flower has a hypanthium
- Inflorescence one-sided
- the flowers are arrayed in a spiral around the inflorescence axis or branches, or occur singly, or in several ranks
- Inner tepals (Rumex)
- NA
- Length of flower stalk
- 12–15 mm
- Nectar spur
- the flower has no nectar spurs
- Number of carpels
- 1
- Number of pistils
- 1
- Number of sepals, petals or tepals
- there are five petals, sepals, or tepals in the flower
- Number of styles
- 1
- Ovary position
- the ovary is above the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
- Petal and sepal arrangement
- the flower includes two cycles of petal- or sepal-like structures
- Petal and sepal colors
- yellow
- Petal appearance
- the petals are thin and delicate, and pigmented (colored other than green or brown)
- Petal folding in bud
- the petals in bud are arranged in a cycle with edges overlapping like roof shingles (imbricate)
- Petal folds or pleats
- the petals of the flower do not have folds or plaits
- Petal hairs (Viola)
- NA
- Petal length
- 10–15 mm
- Petal number
- 5
- Petal tips (Cuscuta)
- NA
- Raceme attachment (Veronica)
- NA
- Scales inside corolla
- no
- Sepal and petal color
- the sepals are different from the petals
- Sepal appendages
- the sepals do not have appendages on them
- Sepal appendages (Oenothera)
- NA
- Sepal color
-
- green to brown
- yellow
- Sepal length
- 5–6 mm
- Sepal number
- 5
- Sepal uniformity
- one or more of the sepals is much narrower or shorter than the others
- Sepals fused only to sepals
- the sepals are separate from one another
- Stamen morphology
- the stamens within a cycle differ in length or width
- Stamen number
- 7
- Style petal-like
- the styles are not petal-like
- Umbel flower reproductive parts
- NA
- Upper lip of bilabiate corolla
- NA
-
Fruits or seeds
- Achene relative orientation
- NA
- Achene shape
- NA
- Achene surface (Polygonum)
- NA
- Achene type
- NA
- Berry color
- NA
- Capsule color (Viola)
- NA
- Capsule ribs
- NA
- Capsule splitting
-
- NA
- the capsule splits by two main valves, teeth or pores
- Fruit (pyxis) dehiscence
- NA
- Fruit cross-section
- the fruit is roughly quadrangular in cross-secgtion
- Fruit features (Brassicaceae)
- NA
- Fruit length
- 70–120 mm
- Fruit length relative to sepals
- the fruit is longer than its associated sepals
- Fruit locules
- one
- Fruit shape
-
- the fruit is flat or strongly compressed
- the fruit is obloid (longer than wide and with rounded ends)
- Fruit type (general)
-
- the fruit is dry and splits open when ripe
- the fruit is dry but does not split open when ripe
- Fruit type (specific)
- the fruit is a legume (a fruit that splits into two valves, but only has a single carpel; think of a pea pod)
- Fruit width
- 5–7 mm
- Hairs on fruit
-
- the fruits are not hairy
- the fruits have hairs on them
- Legumes (Fabaceae)
- the legume has internal partitions arranged cross-wise along the fruit
- Mericarp length
- 0 mm
- Mericarp segment shape (Desmodium)
- NA
- Other markings on berry
- NA
- Placenta arrangement
- the plant has parietal placentation, where ovules develop on the wall or slight outgrowths of the wall forming broken partitions within a compound ovary
- Rows of seeds in fruit (Brassicaceae)
- NA
- Schizocarpic fruit compression
- NA
- Schizocarpic fruit segments
- 0
- Seed relative length
- the seed is about as long as it is wide
- Septum in fruit (Brassicaceae)
- NA
- Wings on fruit
- the fruit does not have wings on it
- prickles on fruits
- the fruits do not have thorn-like defensive structures
-
Glands or sap
- Glands on leaf blade
- the leaf blades do not have glandular dots or scales
- Sap
- the sap is clear and watery
- Sap color
- the sap is clear
-
Growth form
- Growth form
- the plant is an herb (it has self-supporting stems)
- Lifespan
- the plant lives more than two years
- Parasitism
- the plant is not parasitic
- Plant color
- the leaves or young stems of the plant are green
- Plants darken when dry
- no
- Spines on plant
- the plant has no spines
-
Leaves
- Bracteole number (Apiaceae)
- 0
- Bracteoles
- there are no bracteoles on the plant
- Bracts in plantain (Plantago)
- NA
- Final leaf segment length (compound lvs only)
- 30–40 mm
- Final leaf segment length to width ratio (compound lvs only)
- 2.3–3.5
- Floral bracts
- the flower does not have bracts
- Hairs on underside of leaf
-
- the underside of the leaf is fuzzy or hairy
- the underside of the leaf is not hairy, or it has very few hairs
- Hairs on upper side of leaf
-
- the upper side of the leaf is fuzzy or hairy
- the upper side of the leaf is not hairy, or it has very few hairs
- Leaf arrangement
- alternate: there is one leaf per node along the stem
- Leaf blade base
- the leaf has a distinct leaf stalk (petiole)
- Leaf blade base shape
- the base of the leaf blade is rounded
- Leaf blade edges
- the edge of the leaf blade is entire (has no teeth or lobes)
- Leaf blade primary vein pattern
- the secondary veins branch off at intervals from the primary vein
- Leaf blade shape
-
- the leaf blade is elliptic (widest near the middle and tapering at both ends)
- the leaf blade is oblanceolate (lance-shaped, but with the widest point above the middle of the leaf blade)
- Leaf blade surface colors
- the upper side of the leaf blade is relatively uniform in color
- Leaf blade texture
- the leaf blade is herbaceous (has a leafy texture)
- Leaf blade veins
- the leaf blade has one main vein running from the base towards the tip (it may or may not have secondary veins)
- Leaf duration
- the leaves drop off in winter (or they whither but persist on the plant)
- Leaf form
- the leaves are green, with an expanded blade and a leaf-like texture
- Leaf spines
- there are no spines on the leaf edges
- Leaf stalk
- the leaves have leaf stalks
- Leaf teeth and lobes
- the edge of the leaf blade is entire (has no teeth or lobes)
- Leaf tip
-
- the tip of the leaf blade is acute (sharply pointed)
- the tip of the leaf blade is obtuse (bluntly pointed)
- Leaf type
- the leaves are compound (made up of two or more discrete leaflets
- Leaflet number
- 6–10
- Leaves per node
- there is one leaf per node along the stem
- Pinnately compound leaf type
- the pinnately compound leaves lack a terminal leaflet (and usually have an even number of leaflets per axis)
- Specific leaf type
- the leaf has a row of two or more lobes on each side of the central axis
- Stipels
- there are no stipels at the bases of the petiolules
- Stipule features
- NA
- Stipule shape
- NA
- Stipules
- the plant has stipules
- Teeth per side of leaf blade
- 0
-
Place
- Habitat
-
- terrestrial
- wetlands
- Specific habitat
-
- edges of forests
- man-made or disturbed habitats
- meadows or fields
- river or stream floodplains
- shores of rivers or lakes
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Branched tendrils
- NA
- Hair between stem nodes
-
- the stem has hairs between the nodes
- the stem has no hairs between the nodes
- Leaves on stem
- there is at least one full leaf above the base of the flowering stem
- Plant height
- 50–150 cm
- Stem orientation
- the stems are upright or angled outwards
- Stem spacing
- the plant is solitary, or a few plants are growing together
- Tendril origin
- NA
- Tendrils
- the plant does not have tendrils
Wetland status
Usually occurs in wetlands, but occasionally in non-wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: FACW)
New England distribution and conservation status
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- absent
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- present
- Rhode Island
- present
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Connecticut
- rare (S-rank: S2), special concern (code: SC)
- Massachusetts
- extremely rare (S-rank: S1), endangered (code: E)
- New Hampshire
- extremely rare (S-rank: S1), endangered (code: E)
- Rhode Island
- historical (S-rank: SH), state historical (code: SH)
- Vermont
- extremely rare (S-rank: S1), threatened (code: T)
From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae
1. Senna hebecarpa (Fern.) Irwin & Barneby N
northern wild senna. Cassia hebecarpa Fern. • CT, MA, NH, RI, VT; also reported from ME by Kartesz (1999), but specimens are unknown. Fields, roadsides, forest borders, riparian corridors.