Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Fabids: Fabales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Senna obtusifolia
FAMILY
Fabaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Check out EDDMapS.org to see where this has been reported.
Learn more about Coffeeweed from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Senna obtusifolia
FAMILY
Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Senna obtusifolia
SYNONYMOUS WITH Native & naturalized Leguminosae (Fabaceae) of the US (Isely, 1998)
Senna obtusifolia
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 098-05-001:
Cassia obtusifolia FAMILY Fabaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN (MISAPPLIED) Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Emelista tora
COMMON NAME:
Coffeeweed, Sicklepod
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_cato81_001_lvd
)
JK Marlow jkm0308a_25
August Williamsburg County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm140803_281
August Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
Leaflets 4-6, terminal pair largest, obovate, widely rounded apically, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
COMPARE
pinnately compound leaves of forbs
)
Roxanna Martin rlm82209_246
August Spartanburg County SC
Sepals unequal, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_senna_obtusifolia_4
August
)
JK Marlow jkm180924_4933
September McCormick County SC
Parks Mill
What's with the 8 leaflets???
)
Roxanna Martin rlm9410_412
September Spartanburg County SC
Slightly unequal dull yellow petals that never seem to be open fully, per Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005).
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_senna_obtusifolia_5
September
Flowers are solitary or paired in upper leaf axils, per Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005).
)
JK Marlow jkm161106_145
November Williamsburg County SC
One to two legumes per node, per Forest Plants of the Southeast and Their Wildlife Uses (Miller & Miller, 2005).
)
JK Marlow jkm161106_147
November Williamsburg County SC
Legume narrowly linear, strongly curved, tetragonal, 1-2dm long, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm181111_5822
November Williamsburg County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm181111_5824
November Williamsburg County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm181111_5902
November Orangeburg County SC
)
Sharleen Johnson shj_1332203034220030
December Charleston County SC
Donnelley Wildlife Management Area
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Senna obtusifolia
FAMILY
Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Senna obtusifolia
FAMILY
Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Senna obtusifolia
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Native & naturalized Leguminosae (Fabaceae) of the US (Isely, 1998)
Senna obtusifolia
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 098-05-001:
Cassia obtusifolia
FAMILY
Fabaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN (MISAPPLIED)
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Emelista tora
284
Forb
Annual
Habitat: Fields (especially soybean fields), disturbed areas, per Weakley's Flora
Non-native: New World tropics?
Common (rare in NC Mountains)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
This plant may be causing problems in natural areas outside its native range, according to authorities such as:
LEAVES:
Even-pinnately compound: 4-6 leaflets
Mostly alternate
FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
Yellow
5-lobed calyx
5 petals
6-7 stamens & 3-4 staminodia
Superior ovary
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Legume
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Forest Plants of the Southeast and Their Wildlife Uses (Miller & Miller, 2005) p168
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p396
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p230
- Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999) p028
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p204
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p139
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p177
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p074
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".
Or try alternate spellings: If "wooly" doesn't work, try "woolly" or just "wool".