PULSE FAMILY LEGUMINOSAE 
WILD SENNA 
Cassia marilandica L. 
The dried leaves of an Arabian species of Cassia are 
extensively used in medicine under the name senna, and 
frequently the leaves of our Wild Senna are collected and 
used as a substitute 
for the imported article. 
This perennial has 
rather recently spread 
into Illinois from the east 
and may not be found in 
the extreme northern 
parts of the state. ° It 
grows in swamps and in’ 
wet soil along railroads 
and other waste places 
from New England to 
Tennessee, and blooms 
during July and August. 
Its light green, nearly 
smooth and sparingly 
branched stem grows 3-8 
feet high. The firm leaves 
are smooth and yellowish 
green, having small 
stipules that fall off long 
before the leaves mature; 
the 10-20 leaflets are ar- 
ranged in pairs and the 
petiole bears a club-shaped gland near the base. 
Showy yellow flowers are clustered in the axils of the upper 
leaves. The 5 yellowish green sepals are slightly united at the 
base and the 5 yellow petals are nearly, though not quite, equal. 
There are 10 stamens, of which the upper 3 are imperfect and 
do not produce pollen. The pistil is hairy but becomes smooth 
as it matures into the many-seeded pod. 
Another Wild Senna, Cassia Medsgeri Shafer, is the common 
form of western and southern Illinois and has commonly been 
mistaken for the above species because of their great similarity. 
This Senna differs, however, in the petioles, in the pod and in 
the number of leaflets. 
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