American Senna Hebecarpa

SPECIFICATION OF SENNA

Genus - Senna

Species - Hebecarpa

Common name - American Senna

Pr-Treatment - Not-required, but recommended

Hardiness zones - 3 - 9

Height - 4'-5' / 1.2m - 1.5m

Spread - 3' / 0.9m

Plant type - Perennial

Exposure - Full Sun, Partial Sun

Soil PH - Neutral

Soil type - Loam, sand, well drained

Water requirements - Drought Tolerant, Average Water

Landscape uses - Cut flower, Feature Plant, Mixed Border, Wildflower

Germination rate - 87%

Leaf / Flower colour - Green / Yellow, Gold

Plant growth rate - Medium

What a midsummer knockout! American senna's tall stature and large panicles of bright golden yellow flowers shine in the bright sun. A herbaceous perennial, this wildflower is native to prairies, old-fields and open woodlands from Ontario south to Wisconsin, Tennessee and Georgia. Fall frosts kill the plant to the roots, but the dry stems and seed pods persist into the winter before collapsing and decaying providing some visual interest.

Rising from the warm soil in mid- to late-spring, America senna quickly grows to become a tall, upright plant with fine, compound leaves. The rich green leaves alternate in a whorl on the stems. Each leaf comprises numerous oblong leaflets. In mid- to late-summer, panicles of five-petaled yellow blossoms appear along the upper stems. Bees pollinate the flowers, resulting in the production of seed pods. Hummingbird visits are also possible. The short pods turn chocolate brown and persist into fall, adding visual colour and texture, though they can self-sow prolifically, so it may be wise to remove the pods before they shatter.

Easy-to-grow from seed, American senna is best grown in full sun in nearly any well-drained soil. It grows in average loam to moist sand with a neutral pH. Appreciating moist soil, it tolerates drought once established. Cut back dead stems in late fall to early winter. This senna is ideal for a tall mixed perennial border or in a meadow garden among purple coneflowers, wild bergamot and other prairie wildflowers. Over time, American senna creates a wider clump of many stems. The cloudless sulphur butterfly species lays its eggs on this perennial and the larvae consume it as their chief food source. Once heavily used in American perennial borders in the 19th century, it's rarely planted today.

GERMINATION GUIDE

Step 1
  Use a flat seedling tray and its deep will be 5 centimetres. Make sure you have plenty of holes in it for good water drainage.

Step 2
 As the seeds are  perfect in size then you can put the seeds over it by 1/3 after that cover the seeds with seedling mix only about 1 cm (one centimetre)

Step 3
 Take equal quantity of sand, soil and vermicompost. Then mix all the three ingredients into one container.

Step 4
  Sprinkle diluted fungicide water (2gm in 1-litre water) after sowing the seeds.We have to care about putting the seed because seeds will not go deep into the mixture.

 Step 5
 Thereafter spread the Senna seeds in the mixture. If your seeds are so tiny then you can spread water very lightly and carefully on the seed.Make sure that the water must be mixed with diluted fungicide powder.It is very important notice to follow that the seeds will not to go very deep inside the mixture by speeding water on the seed if it happens then the fertilization of the seeds become difficult.

Step 6
 Cover tightly plastic polythene wrap over the pot to promote soil moisture retention and place it in a dimly lit area of the house. Lift the plastic daily to check that the soil is moist. If not, lightly moisten it with a water-filled spray bottle before replacing the plastic. Expect germination within three to five days.

Step 7
Remove the plastic as soon as the seedlings emerge, and gradually move the pot to a brighter area over a two-week period so that at the end of that time they're acclimated to being in full sunlight.

Step 8
Minimum warm, above 60ºF (15.5ºC), is needed inside the container and it should be placed in the sunny area.After that, the whole thing should be covered with a poly bag and after 21 days later the plastic can be removed.

Step 9
 Watering can be done according to its requirement. Place the container in a semi shaded place. Senna needs a proper sunny area to germinate.