Senna italica Seeds | Italian Senna
LATIN NAME: Senna italica
COMMON NAME: Italian Senna
Plant Profile
Among the ornamental and useful plants raised from seed, Italian Senna (Senna italica) stands out as a shrub in the bean family. The Italian senna is feathery shrub of dry plains, and small, yellow flowers open in upright spikes among narrow leaves. It is a shrub of open, sunny, sharp-draining ground. It is the sort of plant that quietly justifies the space it occupies.
Science & Biotechnology
Like other members of the bean family, Senna italica draws steady attention from botanists and plant breeders, who value the genus both as a subject of research and as a source of garden-worthy material. Continuing work by breeders and collectors keeps good seed of this species moving through the trade.
Uses & Benefits
Beyond its ornamental appeal, Italian Senna has the practical versatility that makes a plant worth growing from seed year after year. The Italian senna is a fine, bright shrub of dry bed and study collection. It has been written up in botanical and herbal papers for yellow spikes and long record of use, and it is a fine, bright shrub of open, sunny, sharp-draining garden. Give young shrub open, sunny spot and sharp-draining soil, and it will take dry season in the stride. Beyond the establishment year, its needs are simple and few.
Senna is the world’s standard herbal laxative, its sennosides official in every pharmacopoeia for short-term constipation; it is effective, well-studied and meant for occasional use only.
Growing from Seed
Starting Italian Senna from seed is simple and satisfying. Sow thinly on the surface of a loose, well-drained seed compost, cover lightly, water in gently and keep the tray in a sunny spot with even moisture. Shift the seedlings into small pots as soon as they can be handled, and give them bright light until planting-out time.
Our Take
It forms a shrub, which makes spacing and siting straightforward. It is generous with beginners and their occasional misjudgements.
Related Reading
More species in the same orbit as Italian Senna: