NAT. ORDER. 



Lomcntacea:. 



CASSIA MARILANDICA. . AMERICAN SENNA 



C^ass X. Decandria. Order I. Monogynia. 



Gen. Char. Calyx, five-cleft, deciduous. Corolla Petals, five, lower 

 ones larger. Stamens, ten, separate, the three upper anthers 

 barren, the rest fertile ; three lower ones arcurate. Legume, 

 membraneous, many-celled. Seeds, albuminous. Embryo, 

 straight. 



Spc. Char. Legume, long, cylindrical, woody, not opening by valves, 

 many-celled, cells filled with pulp. 



The wild Senna is a beautiful plant ; it grows to <he height of 

 three or four feet ; the stems are upright, and rise directly from the 

 root; the 7vot is perennial, mostly horizontal, but sometimes perpen- 

 dicular, contorted, irregularly shaped, woody, black, and covered with 

 a multitude of fibres also of a deep black color externally, and yel- 

 low within ; the stems are also many, often simple, herbaceous, cyl- 

 indrical, either entirely smooth, or furnished with a few hairs ; the 

 leaves are alternate, rather long, green above, and pale underneath ; 

 leaflets in eight pairs, ovate-oblong, equal, and yellow on the margin, 

 a gland at the base of the petioles ; i\\e flowers are of a bright orange- 

 yellow, in short axillary racemes, on the upper part of the stem ; 

 legumes three or four inches long, a little curved, mucronate, bordered, 

 with conspicuous joints, and a few scattered reddish hairs. 



This plant is pretty common from New- York to Carolina ; and 

 where met with, is generally very abundant. Though it sometimes 

 is found remote from water, it will always (upon the authority of 



Vol. iv.— 34. 



