Senna covesii
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Senna covesii
Desert Senna plant in the Mojave Desert portion of Joshua Tree National Park, California
Conservation status
Secure (TNC)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Subclass: Rosidae (unranked): Eurosids I Order: Fabales Family: Fabaceae Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae Tribe: Cassieae Subtribe: Cassiinae Genus: Senna Species: S. covesii
Binomial name
Senna covesii (A.Gray) H.S.Irwin & Barneby
Synonyms
Cassia covesii A.Gray Earleocassia covesii (A.Gray) Britton & Rose

Desert Senna flower, Water Ranch Riparian Preserve, Gilbert, Arizona.

Senna covesii (Desert Senna, Coues' Senna¹, Rattleweed, "rattlebox", "dais" or "Cove Senna") is a perennial subshrub in the family Fabaceae, native to the Mojave Desert in southeastern California, southern Nevada, and Arizona in the United States, and northern Baja California in Mexico. It is found on desert plains and in sandy washes between 500-600 m altitude, and very common in Joshua Tree National Park, and is also found in the Sonoran Desert. The specific name honors ornithologist Elliott Coues.

It grows to 30-60 cm tall, and is leafless most of the year. The leaves are pinnate, 3-7 cm long, with 2-3 pairs of leaflets (no terminal leaflet), the leaflets elliptical, 1-2.5 cm long. The flowers are yellow in color, with five rounded petals about 12 mm long.

Theis shrub is often planted by landscapers and as part of roadside wildflower programs, and is visited by caterpillars, carpenter bees, and bumblebees.

Footnotes

References

• Fiero, Brad (2001): Desert Ecology of Tucson, AZ - Desert Senna (Senna covesii). Version of 2001-AUG-01. Retrieved 2007-DEC-20.
• McClintock, Elizabeth (1993): Senna covesii. In: Hickman, James C. (ed.): The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California. University of California Press, Berkeley. ISBN 0520082559 HTML fulltext
• Stewart, Jon Mark (1998): Mojave Desert Wildflowers: p.73. Jon Stewart Photography. ISBN 0963490915

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