Cassia pilosa L.

  • Authority

    Isley, Duane. 1975. Leguminosae of the United States: II. Subfamily Caesalpinioideae. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 25 (2): 1-228.

  • Family

    Caesalpiniaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Cassia pilosa L.

  • Description

    Deprecated: mb_convert_encoding(): Handling HTML entities via mbstring is deprecated; use htmlspecialchars, htmlentities, or mb_encode_numericentity/mb_decode_numericentity instead in /home/emu/nybgweb/www-dev/htdocs/science-dev/wp-content/themes/nybgscience/lib/VHMonographsDetails.php on line 179

    Species Description - Prostrate, diminutive to robust, pilose herb, perhaps annual (in U.S.) with numerous stems 2-15 dm from taproot. Hairs on stems and leafstalks 2-3 mm; stems also incurved puberulent. Leafstalk 1-5 cm; petiole 1-3 mm, bearing a tiny deciduous or hidden, stalked gland; leaflets 2-5 pairs (or more on lower leaves), sessile, short-oblong, .5-2.5 cm, 3-4.5 r; blade glabrous but finely ciliate, with displaced midnerve and secondary nerves from base. Stipules persistent, lanceolate-attenuate, striate-nerved. Flowers 1-2 from leaf axils or terminating short axillary branches. Pedicels 1.5-2.5 cm in flower, to 3.5 cm in fruit, glabrous; calyx lobes acute, ca 4 mm; petals yellow, subequal, ca 5 mm; stamens 5 with yellow anthers. Legume elastically dehiscent, oblong, usually slightly falcate, flat, 2-3 cm long, 3-4 mm wide. Seeds few-many.

  • Discussion

    Chamaecrista pilosa (L.) Greene (1899) This introduced, weedy species is possibly more widely distributed than present records indicate. Florida plants seem to be prostrate annuals, but in the tropics C. pilosa is ascending to 1 m or more with numerous branches.

  • Distribution

    S Florida. Palm Beach and Highlands cos. Ruderal urban areas, right-of-way. Feb., Oct.-Nov. (all year?). Central America to n South America.

    United States of America North America| Central America| South America|