''Senna pendula'', also known as Easter Cassia, Christmas Senna, winter Senna, climbing Cassia, golden shower, pendant Senna and valamuerto, is a plant of the Fabaceae family with a shrub habit that is native to

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the souther ...

. It used in various parts of the world as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that ...

and is an environmental

weed A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation, "a plant in the wrong place", or a plant growing where it is not wanted.Harlan, J. R., & deWet, J. M. (1965). Some thoughts about weeds. ''Economic botany'', ''19''(1), 16-24. ...

in Australia. The flowers are yellow and the name ''pendula'' means 'pendulous' or 'drooping'.

Description

It is a fast-growing, spreading, scrambling or erect shrub that reaches 2–4 metres in height with multi-branched and arching stems and branches. Its single-compound, hairless leaves feature three to six duos of wide leaflets that are 1–5 cm long and 5–20 mm wide with rounded tips and salient yellowish margins. Its bright yellow flowers, which are about 3 cm across, have five large

petal Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corolla''. Petals are usuall ...

s and are foaled in leafy clumps at the tips of the branches. The fruit is in a cylindrical

pod Pod or POD may refer to: Biology * Pod (fruit), a type of fruit of a flowering plant * Husk or pod of a legume * Pod of whales or other marine mammals * "-pod", a suffix meaning "foot" used in taxonomy Electronics and computing * Proper o ...

(10–20 cm long and 6–12 mm wide) that hangs down. It flowers prominently at

Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...

in the southern hemisphere (or early autumn), hence its common name. It also has an insignificant flowering season in early summer (around

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

in the southern hemisphere). ''Senna pendula'' is distinguished from ''

Senna bicapsularis ''Senna bicapsularis'' is a species of the legume genus '' Senna'', native to northern South America, from Panama south to Venezuela and Colombia, and also the West Indies. Common names include rambling senna (formerly "cassia"), winter cassia, ...

'' which has 3 pairs of leaflets on each leaf, while this one has 4-7 pairs of leaflets on each leaf and a gland between each pair of leaflets. 'S. bicapsularis' has flowers borne on rather short

pedicel Pedicle or pedicel may refer to: Human anatomy *Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures ...

s (flower stalks) that are less than half a centimeter in length, whereas 'S. pendula' has flowers borne on longer (1 to 3 cm) pedicels. 'S. pendula' may flower from as early as late summer, whereas S. bicapsularis blooms from late autumn to winter.Christmas Cassia Causes Confusion
By Marc Frank,

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

Invasive species

The ''S. p. glabrata'' variety has become

naturalised Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the in ...

, and is also an environmental weed, in eastern Australia in the coastal and sub-coastal regions of south-eastern

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

and

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, where it is found in

watercourse A stream is a continuous body of surface water flowing within the bed and banks of a channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to by a variety of local or regional names. Long large streams ...

s, gardens, disturbed sites,

wasteland Wasteland or waste land may refer to: * Desert or barren area * an uncultivated area of land, whether wooded or not, whether common land or not Art, entertainment, and media Comics * ''Wasteland'' (DC Comics), 1987–1989 anthology-style horror ...

s, roadsides, closed forests, forest margins and urban

bushland In Australia, bushland is a blanket term for land which supports remnant vegetation or land which is disturbed but still retains a predominance of the original floristics and structure. Human survival in bushland has a whole mythology evolvin ...

. It is spread by seed, suckers and dumped garden waste. Despite it being invasive, it is not a prohibited or restricted invasive plant under the

Biosecurity Act 2015 The ''Biosecurity Act 2015'' is an Act of the Parliament of Australia which manages biosecurity risks in Australia. It was enacted on 16 June 2015, after the Bill was passed with bipartisan support on 14 May 2015. It covers both agricultural ...

Cultivation

Senna pendula was introduced as a garden plant in Australia in 1957, where it was described in a

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

nursery catalogue as, "a useful shrub bearing masses of buttercup-shaped flowers in autumn and early winter". Much sought for, gardeners had paid four

shillings The shilling is a historical coin, and the name of a unit of modern currencies formerly used in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, other British Commonwealth countries and Ireland, where they were generally equivalent to 12 pence or ...

to purchase this plant during the mid 20th century. The shrub was in the market for many decades, though now it is no longer sold due its invasive nature. In

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

, Senna pendula is usually cultivated as, and misapplied to,

. An investigation of herbarium specimens from the

University of South Florida The University of South Florida (USF) is a public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, and other campuses in St. Petersburg and Sarasota. It is one of 12 members of the State University System of Florida. USF i ...

, and

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden is an botanic garden with extensive collections of rare tropical plants including palms, cycads, flowering trees, and vines. It is located in the city of Coral Gables, Miami-Dade County, just south of Miami, ...

had suggested that true Senna bicapsularis is very scarce in cultivation in Florida, whereas Senna pendula is more common and widespread.

Subspecies

The plant features the following subspecies:Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T. & Ballings, P. (2013). Flora of Zimbabwe: Species information: Senna pendula var. glabrata. *''S. p. advena'' *''S. p. ambigua'' *''S. p. dolichandra'' *''S. p. eriocarpa'' *''S. p. glabrata'' *''S. p. hemirostrata'' *''S. p. indistincta'' *''S. p. meticola'' *''S. p. mission'' *''S. p. ovalifolia'' *''S. p. paludicola'' *''S. p. pendula'' *''S. p. praeandina'' *''S. p. recondita'' *''S. p. scandens'' *''S. p. stahlii'' *''S. p. tenuifolia''

Gallery

File:Starr 070321-6034 Senna pendula.jpg, Budding flowers File:Senna pendula6.jpg, Growing towards a tree File:Starr 070111-3268 Senna pendula.jpg,

Cut flower Cut may refer to: Common uses * The act of cutting, the separation of an object into two through acutely-directed force ** A type of wound ** Cut (archaeology), a hole dug in the past ** Cut (clothing), the style or shape of a garment ** Cut (ea ...

File:Starr 070321-6035 Senna pendula.jpg, Seed pods File:Senna pendula4.jpg, Ornamental plant File:Senna pendula (Willd.) H.S.Irwin ^ Barneby - Flickr - Alex Popovkin, Bahia, Brazil (3).jpg, Leaves closeup File:Senna pendula (Willd.) H.S.Irwin ^ Barneby - Flickr - Alex Popovkin, Bahia, Brazil (6).jpg, Flower closeup File:Starr 070111-3261 Senna pendula.jpg, Leaves and flowers File:Senna pendula2.jpg, In a bushland

Notes

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q10370080 bicapsularis Plants described in 1982 Flora of Brazil Flora of Venezuela Flora of Colombia Flora of Bolivia Flora of Paraguay Flora of Argentina Ornamental plants