Duration: Perennial

Nativity: Native

Lifeform: Subshrub

General: Perennial herb to subshrub, simple stemmed or branched above, often to 1 m more tall, herbage glabrate to sparsely pubescent, stems ridged with linear to lance-subulate stipules, 5-10 mm long.

Leaves: Up to 40 cm long, petiole bearing a large gland near base, 8-16 leaflets, lanceolate, 7-25 mm wide by 4-10 cm long, glabrous except on puberulent margins, bright green.

Flowers: Terminal inflorescence, but can be axillary, few flowered, on pedicels 5-25 mm long; sepals thin, oblong to obovate, rounded, 7-10 mm long, petals to 1.5 cm long, exceeding the sepals, yellow.

Fruits: Linear pods, 4.5-6 mm wide to 25 cm long, indehiscent to tardily dehiscent, dull grayish brown at maturity.

Ecology: Found along washes and streams from 2,500-5,500 ft (762-1676 m); flowers July-September.

Notes: Foliage is ill-smelling, easily identified by the bright yellow flowers and size of the plant.

Ethnobotany: Unknown

Etymology: Senna is from Arabic Sena, while hirsuta comes from hirsute, for hairy, and glaberrima means completely glabrous.

Synonyms: Cassia leptocarpa var. glaberrima, Cassia gooddingii, Ditremexa glaberrima

Editor: SBuckley, 2010