bio.wikisort.org - Plant

Senna hebecarpa, with the common names American senna[3] and wild senna, is a species of legume native to eastern North America.[2][1][4] [5]

Senna hebecarpa
Conservation status
Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Subfamily:	Caesalpinioideae
Genus:	Senna
Species:	S. hebecarpa
Binomial name
Senna hebecarpa (Fernald) H.S.Irwin & Barneby[1]
Synonyms
Cassia hebecarpa Fernald Cassia hebecarpa Fernald var. longipila E.L. Braun Senna hebecarpa (Fernald) Irwin & Barneby var. longipila (E.L. Braun) C.F. Reed[2]

Description

Senna hebecarpa grows as a sparsely branched perennial plant. It has alternate, compound leaves.[6]

Clusters of light yellow to orange flowers bloom from July to August in North America.[6]

Distribution and habitat

The plant is found from the Great Lakes region and Maine southwards through the Eastern United States, in the Appalachian Mountains and Atlantic Plains, to Georgia.[2][7]

It is found in moist open woodlands, and in disturbed areas.[7]

Ecology

It is a larval host and nectar source for the Cloudless Giant Sulphur (Phoebis sennae) butterfly.[6] It is also of special value to native bumble bees.[6] [8]

Conservation status in the United States

It is endangered in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, threatened in Vermont, as historical in Rhode Island,[9] and as threatened in Connecticut.[10]

Uses

Senna hebecarpa is cultivated as an ornamental plant, for use as a perennial wildflower and flowering shrub in traditional and wildlife gardens, in natural landscaping projects, and for habitat restoration projects.[6][4][5]

Native American ethnobotany

The Cherokee use an infusion of the plant for various purposes, including taking it for cramps, heart trouble, giving it to children and adults as a purgative and for fever, and taking it for 'blacks' (hands and eye sockets turn black). They also give an infusion of the root specifically to children for fever. They use a poultice the root for sores, and they use a compound infusion for fainting spells. They also use a compound for pneumonia.[11] The Iroquois use the plant as a worm remedy and take a compound decoction as a laxative.[12]

References

External links

• USDA Plants Profile for Senna hebecarpa (American senna)
• University of Michigan—Dearborn: Native American Ethnobotany of Senna hebecarpa
• Connecticut Botanical Society: Senna hebecarpa
• Illinois Wildflowers: Senna hebecarpa

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