Cassia wislizeni A.Gray
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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 - Stiffly branched shrub, 1-3 m with dark twigs and puberulent young growth, the branches densely floriferous. Leaves mostly from spurs, alternate primarily on new growth; leaflets 1-1.5 cm, eglandular, bristle-tipped, those of spur leaves 2(-3) pairs, of terminal shoots 3 pairs, subsessile, obovate to elliptic, 5—10(— 12) mm, 1.2-2 r, inconspicuously puberulent to glabrate, thick. Stipules filamentous, subpersistent. Flowers 2-8 in congested small racemes from leaf axils or spurs near twig tips. Sepals unequal, the larger to 1 cm; corolla yellow, 2.5-5 cm diam, nearly regular; functional stamens 7. Legume dehiscent but persistent, pendent, linear, straight to falcate, flat, 8-13 cm long, 3-6 mm wide; valves thin-coriaceous, at maturity transverse-expressed over seeds, black, glabrous. Seeds several.
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Discussion
Palmerocassia wislizeni (A. Gray) Britt. (1930) A local but showy desert species, which well deserves cultivation. Spur leaves continue to be produced on twigs several years old and may envelop them in a shallow mande. Mexican material from Sonora, Chihuahua and San Luis Potosi has 3 pairs of generally larger leaflets than U.S. forms.
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Distribution
W Texas to se Arizona. Rocky foothill slopes, canyons, arroyos, ledges, rocky calcareous or igneous soil. 2800-4600 ft. June-Aug. N Mexico.
United States of America North America| Mexico North America|