Cassia alata L.
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Authority
Isley, Duane. 1975. Leguminosae of the United States: II. Subfamily Caesalpinioideae. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 25 (2): 1-228.
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Family
Caesalpiniaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Species Description - Glabrate or villosulous, herbaceous perennial or shrub to 4 m. Leaves large; leafstalk 1.5-6 dm, eglandular; leaflets 7-12 pairs, subpetioluled, obovate to broadly oblong, asymmetric at base, rounded to emarginate apically, increasing in size distally, the medial 5-12 cm long, 3-8 cm wide, 1.3-2.1 r (reduced basal leaflets may be as small as 1.5 cm, terminal ones to 18 cm). Stipules 1-2 cm, subulate, often recurved, basally subauriculate. Flowers in showy, elongate, simple or compound spike-like racemes, 3-6(-10) dm. Pedicels short; bracts conspicuous in bud and enclosing flowers, broadly ovate-acuminate, petaloid, sticky, 1.5-2 cm; sepals golden-yellow, petaloid, 1-1.5 cm; corolla lemon-yellow, 3-4 cm diam, the petals with erose margins; functional stamens 7, 4(-5) lateral small, 2 or 3 lower much larger, obliquely rostrate; ovary villosulous. Legume dehiscent, oblong, compressed, 10-15 cm, 4-winged, each valve bearing a longitudinal stiff-membranous, crenulate wing which lies at right angles to the winged sutures; valves membranous-chartaceous, nigrescent at maturity, transversely septate. Seeds many, cuboid.
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Discussion
Herpetica alata (L.) Raf. (1838) CN 2n = 12 (Senn, 1938a); n = 12 (Irwin and Turner, 1960); n = 14 (Pantulu, 1960, “a large number of counts”). Cassia alata is cultivated in the United States as a herbaceous perennial. Herbarium gatherings are not abundant, but I have collected it several times, and it is said to be reasonably common in cultivation (Turner, 1959; Menninger, 1958; Mathias and McClintock, 1963; Irwin, in litt). It is slightly established in Florida independent of cultivation. The chromosome number of Cassia alata requires further study. The odds of misdetermination of this distinctive species are less than for many others.
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Distribution
S United States, Florida to California, occasional under glass further n; cult, ornamental, slightly naturalized. Sept.-Dec. Candlestick plant. American tropics, abundantly planted and naturalized in both hemispheres.