Senna spectabilis

Senna spectabilis (DC.) H.S. Irwin & Barneby, Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 35: 600. 1982; Fl. China @ eFloras.org 10: 30; Cassia spectabilis DC., Cat. Pl. Horti. Monsp. 90. 1813; Pseudocassia spectabilis Britton and Rose, N. Amer. Fl. 23: 230. 1930.

Trees, evergreen, small, 5-7 (-10) m tall, multi-trunked at base, with long spreading branched. Young branches, petioles and rachises of leaves densely yellowish brown velutinous (covered with fine and dense silky pubescence). Stipules linear, falcate, pubescent, ca. 10 mm long, deciduous. Leaves alternate, rachis including petiole 20-31 cm long; rachis and petiole without glands; leaflets 6-15 pairs, elliptic, oblong-lanceolate to lanceolate, chartaceous, 3-7 cm x 1-2 cm (lowermost pair usually much smaller and early caducous), abaxially densely yellowish brown velutinous, adaxially glabrous or puberulent, base sub-round and slightly oblique, apex acute to sub-acuminate; petioles 2-3.5 cm long; petiolules 2-3 mm long. Flowers zygomorphic, bisexual, pentamerous, perigynous, fragrant, golden yellow, 3.5-4 cm across, in terminal dense panicles or axillary corymbose racemes, up to 60 cm long; peduncles of panicle and corymbs 2-3 cm long; peduncle and pedicels densely yellowish brown velutinous; pedicels up to 2.5 cm long; bracts nearly similar to stipules, caducous, Sepals 5, orange yellow, reflexed, concave, unequal, 2 outer smaller, ovate, about half as long as inner one, 5-7 x 5-7 mm, pubescent; 3 inner larger, obovate to suborbicular, ca. 10 mm x 9-13 mm. Petals 5, bright yellow, darkly brownish yellow veined, unequal in size, 2-2.5 cm x 1.2-1.4 cm, broadly to narrowly obovate, shortly clawed, claw ca. 1mm long. Stamens 10 ; 7 fertile, nearly similar, filaments ca. 2 mm long, thick, anthers 5-6 mm long, oblong, opening by 2 apical slits; staminodes 3, with ca. 3 mm long filaments, anthers with broad connective and 2 divergent cordate lobes (thecae). Ovary linear 2.5- 3 cm long, curved, glabrous, unilocular, ovules many, placentation marginal; style very short, inconspicuous; stigma fringed with minute cilia.

Legumes shortly stipitate, pendulous, black, linear-cylindric, slightly compressed, 25-35 cm x 1-1.5 cm, slightly constricted between seeds, annulate-septate, glabrous, dehiscing along sutures, valves black, woody, cross-ridged, wrinkled. Seeds 50-70, suborbicular, ca. 5 mm in diameter, orange brown. (Fruits not observed)

Flowering and Fruiting: November-December
Common Names: Archibald’s Cassia, Calceolaria Cassia, Golden Shower, Scented Shower