Senna procumbens is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to the Northern Territory in Australia. It is a herbaceous perennial or undershrub with pinnate leaves with two or three pairs of lance-shaped to narrowly elliptic leaflets, and groups of five to eight yellow flowers arranged in upper leaf axils.

Senna procumbens
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae
Genus: Senna
Species:
S. procumbens
Binomial name
Senna procumbens

Description

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Senna procumbens is a prostrate or low-lying, mostly glabrous, herbaceous perennial or undershrub. Its leaves are pinnate, 50–80 mm (2.0–3.1 in) long including a petiole 10–12 mm (0.39–0.47 in) long, with five to eight pairs of lance-shaped to narrowly elliptic leaflets, 40–50 mm (1.6–2.0 in) long and 10–15 mm (0.39–0.59 in) wide, spaced 8–12 mm (0.31–0.47 in) apart. There are hair-like glands between each pair of leaflets. The flowers are yellow and arranged in groups of five to eight in upper leaf axils on a peduncle 30–60 mm (1.2–2.4 in) long, each flower on a pedicel 15–20 mm (0.59–0.79 in) long. The petals are 11–13 mm (0.43–0.51 in) long and there are ten fertile stamens, the anthers of differing lengths between 4 and 5 mm (0.16 and 0.20 in) long. Flowering occurs from January to June, and the fruit is a flat pod 50–70 mm (2.0–2.8 in) long and about 8 mm (0.31 in) wide.[2][3][4]

Taxonomy

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Senna procumbens was first formally described in 1989 by Barbara Rae Randell in the Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Garden.[4][5] The specific epithet (procumbens) means "procumbent".[6]

Distribution and habitat

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Senna procumbens grows among tall grasses in swamps or in forest or woodland in sandy soil. It is only known from the Pine Creek area of the Northern Territory.[3][2][4]

References

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  1. ^ "Senna procumbens". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Senna procumbens". Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment: Canberra. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Senna procumbens". Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  4. ^ a b c Randell, Barbara R. (1989). "Revision of Cassiinae in Australia 2. Senna Miller sect. Psilorhegma (J.Vogel) Irwin & Barneby". Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens. 12 (2): 260–263. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  5. ^ "Senna procumbens". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  6. ^ Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 283. ISBN 9780958034180.