Environmental Weeds in Sydney North

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Cassia

Botanical Name: Senna pendula
Noxious Weed Category:
CLASS 4 in Manly, Ryde and Willoughby councils


Photo: Ku-ring-gai Council


Photo: Ku-ring-gai Council

 

Description:
 Also known as Senna and Arsenic Bush.

Originating in South American, Cassia is a perennial sprawling multi-stemmed shrub or tree up to 5m tall. Stems and leaves are hairless.

Compound leaves divide into 3-5 opposite pairs of oval leaflets. Leaflets are dark green with a yellow coloured edge.

Bright yellow flowers with 5 petals, clustering at branch ends. Flowers in autumn.

Hard black seeds in bean-like pods, 5- 10 cm long, narrow and rounded. Ripening in winter.

Dispersal:
The large seed pods are eaten by birds and other animals.

Impact on Bushland:
It replaces native vegetation and establishes in a wide range of native plant communities, including coastal heath and scrubland, hinddunes and riparian corridors.

Control:

Manual: Dispose of the large seed pods.
  Cassia is easily dug out, removing all roots.
  Cassia may also be treated using the cut and paint technique.
Chemical: Please contact your local control authority for advice on chemical control.

Similar Species:
Cassia is often confused with a native shrub Breynia (Breynia oblongifolia) as their leaves are similar, but Cassia leaflets grow in opposite pairs, while Breynia leaves are alternate.

Suggested Alternatives:

References: