Cassia 



Leguminosae 



587 



50 



Map 1196 



Cassia fasciculata Michx. 



Cassia occidentalis L. 



Pubescence of stem, rachis, petioles, petiolules, and pods long and spreading; 

 leaflets yellow green, more or less ciliate; gland of petiole light brown, on a 

 very short pedicel; segments of pod generally as long as wide.4. C. hebecarpa. 



Pubescence of stem, rachis, petioles, petiolules, and pods appressed and shorter; 

 and whole plant much more glabrate than the preceding species; leaflets dark 

 green, the margins more or less ciliate, at least near the base or glabrous; 



gland of petiole dark brown, sessile; segments of pod wider than long 



5. C. marilandica. 



1. Cassia nictitans L. (Chamaecrista nictitans (L.) Moench.) Small- 

 flower Sensitive-plant. Map 1194. Infrequent but locally common in 

 the unglaciated area, and northward either absent or very rare and, I 

 think, introduced. It prefers dry, sandy or sterile soil and in the south 

 it is usually found in open woodland on the crests or slopes of ridges, 

 along roadsides, and in fallow fields. 



Vt. to Kans., southw. to Fla. and Tex. 



la. Cassia nictitans var. leiocarpa Fern. (Rhodora 38: 423. 1936.) 

 Map 1195. I found this variety in two places in Brown County and Friesner 

 has also found it in Brown County. All the specimens found at the various 

 places have both the stem and legume glabrous except one that has the 

 stem densely pubescent as in the typical form. 



Pine Mountain, Bell Co., Ky., Ind., and Ohio. 



2. Cassia fasciculata Michx. (Cassia Chamaecrista L. of manuals and 

 Chamaecrista fasciculata (Michx.) Greene in part.) Large-flower Sensi- 

 tive-plant. Map 1196. This species is infrequent but locally common 

 along roadsides and railroads in the southern and western counties, becom- 

 ing rare or absent in the northeastern counties. It prefers a moist, sandy 

 soil and, from its abundance in the prairies of our western counties, I believe 

 it is essentially a prairie plant. Almost all of my plants are from roadsides, 

 railroads, and fallow fields, and only a few grew along creeks and in open 

 woodland where the seed could have come from roadsides. I believe this 



