''Senna multiglandulosa'', commonly known as glandular senna, downy senna, or buttercup bush
/ref> is a species of flowering plant in the family

Fabaceae Fabaceae () or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomen ...

and is native to

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

, and western parts of South America. It is a shrub with

pinnate Pinnation (also called pennation) is the arrangement of feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis. Pinnation occurs in biological morphology, in crystals, such as some forms of ice or metal crystals, and ...

leaves, usually with six to eight pairs of linear to lance-shaped leaflets, and yellow flowers arranged in groups of ten to twenty, with seven fertile

stamen The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

s in each flower. It is widely cultivated 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 th ...

and in some areas of the world has become

naturalized Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-national of a country acquires the nationality of that country after birth. The definition of naturalization by the International Organization for Migration of the ...

Description

''Senna multiglandulosa'' is a shrub that typically grows to a height of up to and has woolly-hairy stems. The leaves are pinnate, long on a petiole long, with six to eight pairs of linear to lance-shaped or oblong leaflets long and wide, spaced apart. There are two to four

glands A gland is a Cell (biology), cell or an Organ (biology), organ in an animal's body that produces and secretes different substances that the organism needs, either into the bloodstream or into a body cavity or outer surface. A gland may also funct ...

between the lowest pairs of leaflets. The flowers are yellow and arranged on the ends of branchlets and in upper leaf axils in groups of ten to twenty on a peduncle long, each flower on a pedicel long. The petals are long and there are seven fertile

s, the

anthers The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filamen ...

varying in length from long, and three

staminode In botany, a staminode is an often rudimentary, sterile or abortive stamen, which means that it does not produce pollen.Jackson, Benjamin, Daydon; ''A Glossary of Botanic Terms with their Derivation and Accent''; Published by Gerald Duckworth & Co ...

s. Flowering occurs from spring to autumn in Australia, and the fruit is a cylindrical pod long, about wide and softly-hairy.

Taxonomy

This species was first formally described in 1783 by

Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin Nikolaus Joseph Freiherr von Jacquin (16 February 172726 October 1817) was a scientist who studied medicine, chemistry and botany. Biography Born in Leiden in the Netherlands, he studied medicine at Leiden University, then moved first to Par ...

, who gave it the name ''Cassia multiglandulosa'' in his ''Icones Plantarum Rariorum''. In 1982, Howard Samuel Irwin and

Rupert Charles Barneby Rupert Charles Barneby (6 October 1911 – 5 December 2000) was a British-born self-taught botanist whose primary specialty was the Fabaceae (Leguminosae), the pea family, but he also worked on Menispermaceae and numerous other groups. He was emp ...

transferred the species to the genus '' Senna'' as ''S. multiglandulosa'' in '' Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden''.

Distribution and habitat

''Senna multiglandulosa'' is native to Central and South America, but has been introduced to Australia, New Zealand and

New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...

. It is sparingly naturalised in south-eastern South Australia, south-western Victoria and near the eastern part of border between Victoria and New South Wales.

References

External links

Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants Profile
* {{Taxonbar, from=Q7450839 multiglandulosa Plants described in 1783 Taxa named by Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin Central America Flora of Southern America Flora of New Caledonia Flora of New South Wales Flora of Victoria (state)