About Senna artemisioides (Gaudich. ex DC.) Randell
Senna artemisioides is a shrub that typically grows 0.15–3 m (5.9 in – 9 ft 10.1 in) tall, and has pinnate leaves. Its leaflets grow in pairs of 1 to 8, with a sessile gland located between the lowest pair of leaflets. The leaves have tiny, triangular stipules that fall off as the leaves mature. Yellow flowers grow in clusters of 2 to 15 in leaf axils, on a peduncle up to about 15 mm (0.59 in) long. Each flower sits on a pedicel up to around 10 mm (0.39 in) long. The greenish sepals are 6–8 mm (0.24–0.31 in) long, and the petals are 5–10 mm (0.20–0.39 in) long, mostly 7–10 mm (0.28–0.39 in) long. There are ten fertile stamens, with anthers 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) long. The fruit is a glabrous, linear pod 5–10 cm (2.0–3.9 in) long and 8–15 mm (0.31–0.59 in) wide. This plant, commonly called silver cassia, is endemic to Australia, where it occurs in all mainland states and territories. It has also been introduced to California, the Canary Islands, Cyprus, India, Iraq, Spain and Zimbabwe. S. artemisioides is a known larval food plant for multiple species of butterfly and moth, including the small grass yellow, icilius blue, twig looper, blotched satin moth and bag-shelter moth. Ants aid its seed dispersal by eating the seed arils. In horticulture, Senna artemisioides adapts to a wide range of climatic conditions, but is susceptible to frost, especially when young. It prefers dry, well-drained sites with full sun. Grown as an ornamental plant, it propagates easily from seed, which should first be briefly soaked in boiling water before sowing. This species has received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
