Woody Desert Senna
Whole
Ellura
Woody Desert Senna
Leaf
 
                      
Woody Desert Senna (Senna artemisioides ssp petiolaris)Class: Plants (Plantae) - Land Plants (Charophyta) - Land Plants (Equisetopsida)
Order: Legumes (Fabales)
Family: Legume (Fabaceae or Leguminosae)     iNaturalist Observation
Species: Woody Desert Senna (Senna artemisioides ssp petiolaris)
This Photo:     Perspective
Other names: Flat-stalk Senna or Woody Cassia

Thank you David Muirhead for confirming the id of this species for us

General Species Information:
Found on Ellura (in the Murray Mallee, SA), the Riverland and elsewhere
Similar to ssp filifolia, but the base of the leaf is always flattened, not cylindrical, even in the young leaves.
The leaf base is thicker (compared to length) than old filifolia leaves.
The leaf splits into leaflets about 2/3rds the way along, not 1/2 way (as in filifolia).
ssp petiolaris leaflets tend to curve over more on the ends compared with ssp filifolia leaflets.
All these tendencies mean that you could get a leaf off a ssp filifolia bush that matches a ssp petiolaris. But you won't see a petiolaris leaf that has a cylindrical base.
All Senna artemisioides can loose the end leaflets.

Copyright © 2014-2024 Brett & Marie Smith. All Rights Reserved. Photographed 07-Jan-2014
This species is classed as LC (Least Concern) in the Murray Mallee, SA, by DENR (Regional Species Status Assessments, July 2010)