Nature Notes - Silver Cassia

Features

Silver Cassia (Senna artemisioides nothosubspecies artemisioides) is a silvery shrub 1-2m high. Silver Cassia flowers in winter with brilliant yellow flowers.

Adaptations

Silver Cassias are perennial (live for a number of years) plants that must endure all the worst conditions a desert can offer.

To survive in the desert you need to make sure you don’t lose too much water from sweating.  Plants sweat just like us.  It escapes through holes, called stomates, on the bottom sides of their leaves.  These stomates are there so the plant can absorb carbon dioxide from the air, when they photosynthesize, and then release the oxygen which forms in the process.To avoid losing too much water Silver Cassias have narrow leaves which mean there are few stomates through which water can escape.

Habitat

Desert woodland, ranges and sand country

Flowers and Nectar

The sweetly scented flowers are in a cluster and they have round yellow petals.

Seeds

The seed pod is flat and oblong.

Size and Lifespan

A shrub to 2 metres in height.

Range and Status

Common

Use by People

Edible grubs can be found in the roots. The leaves are boiled to produce a medicinal wash. Leaves and flowers are used to decorate the body during ceremonies.

Extra Fun Facts

This plant is named after the Greek goddess Artemis, whose statue was cast in silver. Cassias are legumes - like peas!

Compare with the legumes of the Sonoran Desert.