Twinleaf Senna - Senna bauhinioides
East of Hillsboro, New Mexico, USA
August 12, 2014
On August 12, 2014 we found this Twinleaf Senna (aka Two Leaf Senna), Senna bauhinioides, a mile east of Hillsboro. This species was once placed in the Cassia genus. Its blooming season, which typically begins in April, generally ends in August. The developing flower buds shown on this individual may or may not develop.
The range of this species extends from northern Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Sonora), northward into Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas in the United States. The range within the United States is shown to the right, the light green color indicates that the species is native and not rare in the county indicated. (Apparently, this species has also been reported from Maryland.)
This species is often (generally?) found growing on limestone strata, see “Flora of Chihuahuan Desertscrub on Limestone in Northeastern Sonora, Mexico” by Van Devender, Reina-Guerrero, and Sánchez-Escalante (USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-67. 2013)
The specimen shown below was collected by Charles Wright.
