Senna surattensis Seeds | Senna
LATIN NAME: Senna surattensis
COMMON NAME: Senna, Golden Cassia, Glaucous Cassia
Plant Profile
Senna (Senna surattensis) grows as a spreading, evergreen shrub in the pea family, native to warm regions of south and southeast Asia, while it has been cultivated widely as an ornamental. Senna surattensis is one of brightest of flowering shrubs of warm regions, and its clusters of golden-yellow flowers and its graceful, feathery leaves have made it a favourite of gardens and streets of the tropics and the subtropics. Established plants reach around Five metres. When it flowers, local bees and other insects make good use of it. Put simply, this is a rewarding species for anyone willing to give it a suitable spot.
Science & Biotechnology
Seed science, comparative botany and horticultural selection all touch on Senna surattensis, a representative of the pea family with clear practical value. Senna surattensis has a real and distinguished place in research. Interest from collectors and breeders has never lapsed, and good seed continues to circulate.
Uses & Benefits
Senna brings genuine presence to the garden and earns its keep across the growing season. Ecologically, senna is a generous shrub of warm gardens and the roadsides. Its bright, golden-yellow flowers feed bees and butterflies through much of year, and its dense, rounded crown gives a shade and a shelter to small creatures, while its flat seed pods feed birds and small animals. To raise senna, sow seeds in pots of moist, open compost in a warm, sunny place, keep them gently watered, and grow little shrubs on in the sun. After the first season it asks for very little beyond a place that suits it.
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
Senna is one of those generous plants that come along well from seed. Fill a pot with a light seed compost, sow evenly on the surface, cover thinly and stand it somewhere warm, bright and evenly moist. Once the seedlings have made true leaves, pot them on individually and plant out when they are sturdy and conditions are right.
Our Take
Senna repays a little patience at sowing time with plenty of garden presence later.
Related Reading
Gardeners who grow Senna often pair it with these related subjects: