Senna lindheimeriana

Botanical Name

Senna lindheimeriana (Scheele) Irwin & Barneby

Common Name(s)

  • Lindheimer's cassia

Synonyms

Legume Clades

Caesalpinioideae , Cassieae , Senna

Native Geographic Range

  • Southwestern North America

IUCN Status

Growth Form

perennial herb

Cultivation Status in AZ

Native

Description

Herbaceous plants to 3 ft (0.9 m) high or more with stems dying back to the crown following winter freezing. The stems and leaves are covered with short, velvety-soft, silver hairs. Leaves are once-pinnate with 4--8 pairs of oblong or ovate leaflets. Clusters of yellow flowers appear at the ends of the stems during the summer months.

Habitat

Widespread from central Texas to southeastern Arizona and across much of northern Mexico. The species occurs in the Chihuahuan Desert and in grassland, savanna, and woodland habitats, usually in rocky limestone soil.

Uses

The foliage is reported to be toxic to livestock.

Horticulture

Velvet-leaf cassia is sometimes grown as a flowering perennial. Stems freeze back in winter but usually resprout the following season and grow rapidly with irrigation. The plants will reseed in favorable sites.