Senna covesii (A.Gray) H.S.Irwin & Barneby

Nomenclature and Taxonomy

Senna covesii, commonly known as desert senna, Coues' senna, rattleweed, rattlebox, dais, or cove senna, is a perennial subshrub in the legume family Fabaceae.

Distribution Range

It is native to the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts, occurring in southeastern California, southern Nevada, and Arizona in the United States, and northern Baja California in Mexico.

Habitat and Elevation

It grows on desert plains and in sandy washes at elevations between 305 and 914 meters above sea level, and it is very common in Joshua Tree National Park.

Etymology of Specific Epithet

Its specific epithet was named to honor ornithologist Elliott Coues.

Plant Height and Foliage Cycle

This plant reaches 30 to 60 centimeters in height, and remains leafless for most of the year.

Leaf Structure

When present, its leaves are pinnate, 3 to 7 centimeters long, and bear two or three pairs of leaflets with no terminal leaflet.

Leaflet Morphology

The leaflets are elliptical, and measure 1.0 to 2.5 centimeters long.

Flower Characteristics

Its flowers are yellow, with five rounded petals approximately 12 millimeters long.

Human Cultivation Uses

Senna covesii is often planted by landscapers and included in roadside wildflower programs.

Faunal Associations

Carpenter bees and bumblebees visit its flowers, and sulphur butterflies use the plant as a food source for their larvae.