Fabaceae
Senna

Senna italica Mill.

First published in Gard. Dict., ed. 8.: n.° 2 (1768)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Africa to Indian Subcontinent. It is an annual, perennial or subshrub and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome. It is has environmental uses and social uses, as animal food, a poison and a medicine and for food.

Descriptions

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Distribution
Biogeografic region: Caribbean. Elevation range: 52–52 m a.s.l. Naturalised in Colombia. Colombian departments: La Guajira.
Habit
Herb, Subshrub.
Ecology
Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: forest and woodland, savanna, shrubland, native grassland.
[UPFC]

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit
Erect to prostrate herb or small shrub;branches appressed puberulous in Flora area
Morphology Leaves
Leaves 3–12 cm long, eglandular; stipules triangular to ovate-triangular, 3–9 mm long; leaflets (3–)4–6(–7) pairs, obovate-elliptic to obovate-oblong, 1–4.3 x 0.4–2(–2.7) cm, minutely appressed puberulous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes 2–25 cm long; bracts broadly ovate or elliptic, shortly acuminate, 3–5 mm long, caducous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals usually blackish or brownish except for hyaline margins
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals yellowish-white to bright yellow, 0.8–2 cm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens arranged as in S. longiracemosa, 9–10: 2 anthers large, 4–5 medium-sized, 3 small.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pods shortly oblong-falcate, flattened, 3–6 x 1.3–2 cm, transversely venose, with a ridge of raised crests along middle of each valve
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds similar to S. longiracemosa: transversely arranged, compressed, oblong-ovate, apiculate near hilum, often emarginate at opposite end, 6–7.5 x 4–4.5 x 1.5–2.5 mm, reticulate, with a small areole on each face
Vernacular
Jalelo, jalelo ari, jalelo gel (Somali).
[FSOM]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Somalia-Masai grasslands, Sahara regional transition zone - bushland and thicket.
Morphology General Habit
Annual/Perennial, Not climbing, Herb/Shrub
Vernacular
Chotatarado, Italian Senna, Italjanskaya Senna
[ILDIS]

Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/

Vernacular
sen
[UNAL]

Leguminosae, R.K. Brummitt, A.C. Chikuni, J.M. Lock and R.M. Polhill. Flora Zambesiaca 3:2. 2007

Morphology General Habit
Prostrate or ascending shrublet or herb from a woody base, to 15–60 cm high.
Morphology Branches
Branchlets pale grey-brown, pubescent, weakly longitudinally ridged.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves paripinnate; stipules 5–6 × 1 mm, narrowly triangular, pubescent, persistent; petiole 0.3–2 cm long, pubescent; rachis 5.5–8 cm long, pubescent, eglandular or with a very small reddish gland between the leaflet pairs; leaflets in (4)5–7(8) pairs, 1.6–3.6 × 0.6–2 cm, the distal largest, oblong to broadly obovate, base broadly cuneate or rounded, slightly asymmetric, apex obtuse to rounded or retuse, usually mucronate, glabrous to sparsely pubescent, the margin and midrib beneath more densely pubescent; petiolules up to 1 mm long, glabrous to pubescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences axillary many-flowered racemes, 7–26 cm long, including the peduncle; bracts c.5 × 3 mm, broadly ovate, acuminate, pubescent, caducous; pedicels 2–3 mm long at anthesis.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals 5, elliptic to obovate, glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals orange to yellow, obovate, slightly unequal.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 10; two fertile with long arcuate anthers and very short filaments; five fertile with short straight anthers and straight filaments; three probably sterile with anthers curved into a semi-circle and straight filaments.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary flattened, glabrous to villous; style terete; stigma terminal.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod weakly curved to almost straight, flattened, usually bearing distinct crests on the flat faces in the middle of each segment, mucronate (style-base), tardily dehiscent along both sutures.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds brown, 6–7 × 2–3 mm, obovate, flattened, with a narrowly elliptic areole c.2 mm long on each broad face.
[FZ]

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution
Naturalizada en Colombia; Alt. 52 m.; Llanura del Caribe.
Morphology General Habit
Hierba, subarbusto
Conservation
No Evaluada
[CPLC]

Uses

Use Animal Food
Used as animal food.
Use Environmental
Environmental uses.
Use Gene Sources
Used as gene sources.
Use Food
Used for food.
Use Materials
Used as material.
Use Medicines
Medical uses.
Use Poisons
Poisons.
Use Social
Social uses.
[UPFC]

Use
One source of senna, used as a purgative.
[FSOM]

Use
Medicine
[ILDIS]

Common Names

English
Eland's pea

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Colombian resources for Plants made Accessible

    • ColPlantA 2021. Published on the Internet at http://colplanta.org
    • https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Somalia

    • Flora of Somalia
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • International Legume Database and Information Service

    • International Legume Database and Information Service (ILDIS) V10.39 Nov 2011
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • Plants and People Africa

    • Common Names from Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com/
    • © Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Universidad Nacional de Colombia

    • ColPlantA database
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • World Checklist of Vascular plants (WCVP)

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0