NAT. ORDER. 
Lomentacece. 
CASSIA MARILANDICA. AMERICAN SENNA 
Class 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. 
Spe. 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 the height of 
three or four feet ; the stems are upright, and rise directly from the 
root; the root 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 ; the 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. 
