Silver cassia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Silver cassia |
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| Senna artemisioides subsp. quadrifolia | |
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Cassia artemisioides Gaudich. ex DC. |
Senna artemisioides, often called the wormwood senna, is a lovely flowering plant. It is part of the pea family, known as Fabaceae. This plant grows naturally only in Australia. You can find it in all the main states and territories there.
Other common names for this plant include silver senna, silver cassia, or feathery cassia. Its scientific name, artemisioides, means "resembling Artemisia". Artemisia is another group of plants often called wormwood.
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What Does It Look Like?
This plant is an evergreen shrub, meaning it keeps its leaves all year round. It can grow up to 3 m (9.8 ft) tall. Its leaves are grey-green and have many small leaflets, usually between 1 and 8 pairs.
In winter and spring, the wormwood senna produces many bright yellow flowers. These "pea" flowers are about 1.5 cm wide. After the flowers, flat green pods appear, which are 2 to 7 cm long. These pods turn dark brown as they get older.
Growing and Caring for It
Senna artemisioides can grow in many different climates. However, it doesn't like frost, especially when it's young. This plant prefers dry, well-drained soil and lots of sunshine.
If you want to grow this plant in your garden, it's easy to start from seeds. Before planting, you should briefly dip the seeds in boiling water. This helps them sprout.
This plant is so good for gardens that it has won an important award. The Royal Horticultural Society gave it their Award of Garden Merit.
Plant Names and Families
Plants have scientific names, just like people have first and last names. This helps scientists around the world know exactly which plant they are talking about.
Senna artemisioides was first described in 1825. At that time, it was placed in a group called Cassia. But later, scientists decided it fit better in a different group called Senna. So, its name changed from Cassia artemisioides to Senna artemisioides.
For a long time, people sometimes confused this plant with another one called Cassia eremophila. That plant is a true Cassia species, also known as desert cassia.
Different Kinds of Wormwood Senna
The Senna artemisioides plant has many different types, which scientists call subspecies. These subspecies are like different versions of the same plant. They might look a little different or grow in slightly different places.
Some of these subspecies used to be thought of as completely separate plants. But now, they are considered part of the Senna artemisioides family. This shows how plants can be very diverse, even within the same species!
