American Senna
Senna hebecarpa (Fernald) irwin & Barneby
American Senna: https://marylandbiodiversity.com/species/3844
Synonyms
Cassia hebecarpa 
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Source: Wikipedia

Senna hebecarpa

Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae
Genus: Senna
Species:
S. hebecarpa
Binomial name
Senna hebecarpa
(Fernald) H.S.Irwin & Barneby[2]
Synonyms

Cassia hebecarpa Fernald
Cassia hebecarpa Fernald var. longipila E.L. Braun
Senna hebecarpa (Fernald) Irwin & Barneby var. longipila (E.L. Braun) C.F. Reed[3]

Senna hebecarpa, with the common names American senna[4] and wild senna, is a species of legume native to eastern North America.[3][2][5] [6]

Description

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Senna hebecarpa grows as a sparsely branched perennial plant. It has alternate, compound leaves.[7]

Clusters of light yellow to orange flowers bloom from July to August in North America.[7]

  • Fruit and seeds
    Fruit and seeds

Distribution and habitat

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The plant is found from the Great Lakes region and Maine southwards through the Eastern United States, in the Appalachian Mountains and Atlantic Plains, to Georgia.[3][8]

It is found in moist open woodlands, and in disturbed areas.[8]

Ecology

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It is a larval host and nectar source for the Cloudless Giant Sulphur (Phoebis sennae) butterfly.[7] It is also of special value to native bumble bees.[7] [9]

Conservation status in the United States

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It is endangered in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, threatened in Vermont, as historical in Rhode Island,[10] and as threatened in Connecticut.[11]

Uses

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Senna hebecarpa is cultivated as an ornamental plant, for use as a perennial wildflower and flowering shrub in traditional and wildlife gardens, in natural landscaping projects, and for habitat restoration projects.[7][5][6]

Native American ethnobotany

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The Cherokee use an infusion of the plant for various purposes, including taking it for cramps, heart trouble, giving it to children and adults as a purgative and for fever, and taking it for 'blacks' (hands and eye sockets turn black). They also give an infusion of the root specifically to children for fever. They use a poultice of the root for sores, and they use a compound infusion for fainting spells. They also use a compound for pneumonia.[12] The Iroquois use the plant as a worm remedy and take a compound decoction as a laxative.[13]

References

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  1. ^ NatureServe (1 September 2023). "Senna hebecarpa". NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data accessed through NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia: NatureServe. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  2. ^ a b ITIS Standard Report Page: Senna hebecarpa
  3. ^ a b c United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) (2014): Senna hebecarpa. Retrieved 8-24-2014.
  4. ^ NRCS. "Senna hebecarpa". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  5. ^ a b Blanchan, N. (1916): Wild Flowers: An Aid to Knowledge of our Wild Flowers and their Insect Visitors. TXT fulltext at Project Gutenberg
  6. ^ a b Blanchan, N. (1917): Wild Flowers Worth Knowing. HTML or TXT fulltext at Project Gutenberg
  7. ^ a b c d e "Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin". www.wildflower.org.
  8. ^ a b "Senna hebecarpa". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  9. ^ The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation: Pollinator Conservation Program
  10. ^ "Plants Profile for Senna hebecarpa (American senna)". plants.usda.gov. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  11. ^ "Connecticut's Endangered, Threatened and Special Concern Species 2015". State of Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Bureau of Natural Resources. Retrieved 1 January 2018. (Note: This list is newer and updated from the one used by plants.usda.gov)
  12. ^ Hamel, Paul B. and Mary U. Chiltoskey, 1975, Cherokee Plants and Their Uses -- A 400 Year History, Sylva, N.C. Herald Publishing Co., page 54
  13. ^ Herrick, James William, 1977, Iroquois Medical Botany, State University of New York, Albany, PhD Thesis, page 362
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