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Senna alata

(L.) Roxb. (1832)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Eudicot-Rosids Order: Fabales Family: Fabaceae Genus: Senna

Acapulco, candle bush, candlebush

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Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Shrubs or small trees 2–5 m tall.

Stems:

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves compound. Alternate. Leaflets (6)7–14 pairs, opposite. Leaflets broadly oblong to obovate. Leaflets the distal ones largest, 7–19(–21) cm long, (3–)3.5–9.5(–13.5) cm wide. Apex obtuse, emarginate or mucronulate. Base obliquely rounded to subcordate. Upper surfaces glabrous or puberulent along midrib; lower surfaces puberulent or short–pilose at least along principal veins. Leaflet margins entire. Petiolate; petiolar nectaries absent. Stipules obliquely deltate, 6–16(–20) mm long, deciduous or somewhat persistent.

Flowers: Flowers in racemes 15–60 cm long. Flowers caesalpinaceous; pedicels (4–)5–11 mm long, bracts petaloid, orange to yellow, (13–)17–30 mm long, bracteoles absent. Calyx lobes yellow or orangish yellow, oblong–obovate, 11.5–16 mm long, lobes 5, imbricate. Corolla of 5 petals, bright yellow, the standard longest, subrhombic–obovate, 16–24 mm long, the others broadly obovate. Filaments of 4 median Stamens 2.6–4 mm long, those of 2 fertile Stamens dilated, 3.5–5 mm long, that of abaxial stamen dilated, 6–10 mm long, straight, shorter than to not more than twice as long as the anthers; anthers of 4 median Stamens and central one sterile or nearly so, fertile anthers, basifixed, usually modified into sets of 4 median and abaxial anthers. Ovary superior.

Fruit: Pods ascending; chartaceous; linear–oblong; sharply 4–angled and winged; straight or slightly curved; 11–19 cm long; 2–3 cm wide (incl. wings); the wings 4–10 mm wide; tardily dehiscent; primarily through the ventral suture; the cavity with well–developed membranous interseminal partitions. Seeds tan or dark brown; rhomboid; flattened; 5.5–6.8 mm long; smooth or rugulose; crackled with age; areole of narrow faces 2–3 mm long.

Ploidy: 2n = 12; 24; 28

Habitat: Cultivated and persisting after cultivation.

Elevation Range:

Historical Distribution

Images

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Uses and Culture

USES

Natural History

Statewide Status

Naturalized

Island Status

Kaua'i Naturalized
O'ahu Naturalized
Molokai Naturalized
Lana'i Naturalized
Maui Naturalized
Hawai'i Naturalized

Dispersal Agents


Pollinators

Notes

  • Description digitized by Olivia Kraus
  • Description digitized from the Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaii
  • cultivated prior to 1871

Bibliography

Name Published In: Fl. Ind. ed. 1832, 2: 349 (1832)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:698 (K, O); Oppenheimer & Bartlett 2000:5 (WM); Starr et al. 2003:28 (EM); Staples & Herbst 2005:325 (KEY, DESCR); Wysong et al. 2007:4 (Mo); Oppenheimer 2007:24 (L); Parker & Parsons 2012b:69 (H)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Locality Habitat Basis of Record Description Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Senna alata Laie, L.D.S. Temple grounds clay-loam Preserved_Specimen Shrub 12'; clusters of yellow flowers closely packed in spikes Amona, R. 4 Oahu BISH 1962-01-11
2 Senna alata W Maui, Lahaina District, Honokahua In area used to discard green waste from Kapalua Resort landscaping. Preserved_Specimen Oppenheimer, H.L. 120005 Maui BISH 2000-12-06
3 Senna alata Honolulu, BYU-HC loam Preserved_Specimen Shrub of 3-12' with yellow flowers closely packed on a spike Lee, P. 36 Oahu BISH 1975-03-27
4 Senna alata East Maui, Huelo On side of rd and pastures, spreading from initial plantings into pastures nearby and across the rd. Associated vegetation: Ficus cf. platypoda, Andropogon virginicus, Java plum. Preserved_Specimen Erect, perennial shrub, 1m ht; leaflets 10-20cm long, ca. 10 pairs; flowers yellow to yellow-orange w. petaloid bract; no fruits present. Starr, F. 12061 Maui BISH 2000-12-06
5 Senna alata Hanalei District. At the end of the Wainiha Powerhouse Road. Roadside; growing out of a pile of yard cuttings. Preserved_Specimen Brock, K. 790 Kauai BISH 2016-03-17
6 Senna alata Schofield Barracks, East Range, by washrack. Associated canopy: Eucalyptus robusta, Falcataria moluccana. Understory: Panicum maximum, Waltheria indica. Preserved_Specimen Tree ca. 6 ft. tall. Naturalized. Only small plants observed but they were fruiting. Looks like it should grow to a larger tree size. Kawelo, K. 447 Oahu BISH 2016-07-05
7 Senna alata Hulopoe Occasional in waste areas. Preserved_Specimen Flowers bright yellow. Oppenheimer, H.L. 100643 Lanai BISH 2006-10-20
8 Senna alata Manele Bay, coastal trail heading S towards Hulopoe Bay In constantly wet runoff area along coastal trail below hotel buildings, in an otherwise very dry habitat. Preserved_Specimen Lushly growing 10 ft tall shrubs with a variety of alien weeds. Flowers bright yellow. Volunteer seedlings numerous in the vicinity. Lanai Conservation Internship Program 2 Lanai BISH 2005-07-07
9 Senna alata Honolulu Zoo clay Preserved_Specimen Tree, yellow flowers, long pods McCulloch, R. 12 Oahu BISH 1975-04-11
10 Senna alata W Maui, Lahaina District, Honokahua HUMAN_OBSERVATION -868728425 Maui HAPI 1/19/2012
11 Senna alata Kalaupapa; peninsula, old baseball field behind Heli LZ Preserved_Specimen shrub or small tree, pubescent variety Wysong, M.L. 536 Molokai BISH 2004-12-09
12 Senna alata East Maui, Huelo On side of rd and pastures, spreading from initial plantings into pastures nearby and across the rd. Associated vegetation: Ficus cf. platypoda, Andropogon virginicus, Java plum. Preserved_Specimen Erect, perennial shrub, 1m ht; leaflets 10-20cm long, ca. 10 pairs; flowers yellow to yellow-orange w. petaloid bract; no fruits present. Starr, F. 12061 Maui BISH 2000-12-06
13 Senna alata W Maui, Lahaina District, Honokahua, W of Honokahua Valley, area of Kapalua Resorts landscaping green waste dump Escaping and now sparingly naturalized. Preserved_Specimen Oppenheimer, H.L. 89918 Maui BISH 1999-08-17
14 Senna alata Schofield Barracks, East Range, by washrack. Associated canopy: Eucalyptus robusta, Falcataria moluccana. Understory: Panicum maximum, Waltheria indica. Preserved_Specimen Tree ca. 6 ft. tall. Naturalized. Only small plants observed but they were fruiting. Looks like it should grow to a larger tree size. Kawelo, K. 447 Oahu BISH 2016-07-05
15 Senna alata Back of Palm House, Lyon Arboretum Preserved_Specimen Tree of 12', highly branched 1' off ground Hirano, R. 2 Oahu BISH 1969-01-01
16 Senna alata 2000 block of Mott-Smith St., Honolulu Preserved_Specimen 2 m tall, softwooded shrub Iltis, H.H. 401 Oahu BISH 1967-08-01
17 Senna alata 2000 block of Mott-Smith St., Honolulu Preserved_Specimen 2 m tall, softwooded shrub Iltis, H.H. 401 Oahu BISH 1967-08-01
18 Senna alata Honolulu, lower part of Pacific Hts. Rd Preserved_Specimen Neal, M.C. Oahu BISH 1932-01-28
19 Senna alata Honolulu, Kamanele Park Preserved_Specimen Degener, O. 7268 Oahu BISH 1931-01-10
20 Senna alata University Campus Preserved_Specimen Yoshinaga, E.K. Oahu BISH 1929-11-20
21 Senna alata Honolulu, lower part of Pacific Hts. Rd Preserved_Specimen Neal, M.C. Oahu BISH 1932-01-28
22 Senna alata Kalia, Waikiki Preserved_Specimen Octavio, A.M. Oahu BISH 1929-11-24
23 Senna alata unknown Preserved_Specimen Rock, J.F.C. BISH
24 Senna alata unknown Preserved_Specimen Rock, J.F.C. BISH
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