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Senna bicapsularis
Also called Christmas Bush, Money Bush, Rambling Senna, Yellow Candlebush, Rambling Cassia, Yellow Candlewood, Blydog
Senna bicapsularis is a semi-evergreen shrub from northern South America and the West Indies, growing 2 to 12 m tall with yellow winter flowers. Seed needs scarifying (scratching the tough coat) before it sprouts reliably.
Senna bicapsularis is a species of the legume genus Senna, native to northern South America, from Panama south to Venezuela and Colombia, and also the West Indies. Common names include rambling senna (formerly "cassia"), winter cassia, Christmas bush, money bush, and yellow candlewood. In Florida, Senna pendula is usually cultivated as, and misapplied to, S. bicapsularis.
In the 20th century, the plant may have been used as a traditional medicine to counteract the effects of arthropod stings, and in Mexico, a decoction was intended as a remedy for whooping cough. The seedpod flavour resembles tamarind.
Emperor's candlesticks · Alexandrian senna · Silver senna · Matara Tea · Argentine senna · African senna · American senna · Port Royal senna · False sicklepod · Java-bean · Senna odorata · Valamuerto
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Senna bicapsularis by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
