Description

Wild Senna is a versatile plant that deserves more recognition as a great choice for garden or restoration projects. Its lovely, bright yellow flowers bloom July-August, attracting many bees and butterflies. Autumn brings beautiful leaf colors and the formation of long black pods with seeds favored by larger birds like wild turkeys. A horizontal root system provides strength against winds, allowing the plant’s stately (4-6′) beauty to be appreciated even after the storm. Some gardeners use this sun-loving plant to form a hedge. The plant features axillary racemes of brownish-yellow, pea-like flowers clustered atop unbranched stems in summer. The pea-like seed pods (to 4″ long) turn black in fall and persist on the plants well after the plant has in the normal course died back to the ground. Leaves are feathery, compound, locust-like, and are a dull green color (4-8 pairs of oval leaflets).

Wild Senna is a legume, a member of the pea family. Best grown in medium moisture, well-drained, sandy or clay soils in full sun. Tolerates heat and humidity, and clay soils.