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Pale green shrub that grows in grassland close to streams in sandy and disturbed habitats
Scientific Name: Senna italica
Common Name: Senegal Senna
Dimensions: Grows up to 60 cm high, but stems may be as long as 2 m and the leaves are 5 to 12 cm long while the leaflets are 2.0 to 3.5 cm long
Medium: model
Registration Number: RPN.2018.0113
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Senegal senna is a deciduous perennial shrub with pale green woody stems. The branches can be glabrous or covered in sparse to dense hair. Its compound leaves have pinnate venation and are arranged alternately and spirally along the stems. Each leaf typically consists of four to six elliptical and hairy leaflets. The shrub produces yellow to orange obovate flowers in axillary multi-flowered racemes. These flowers are bisexual and generally contain ten stamens: two long, five medium, and three short, with the short ones being sterile. The style of the flower is slender and yellowish. The fruit is oblong, broad, and thin, with a distinct curved shape and a longitudinal crest in the center. Inside the fruit, you can find up to 11 seeds, which are drop-shaped, laterally flattened, and can range in color from green to black.
Habitat and Biology
Senegal Senna is typically found in grasslands, often near streams, and it prefers sandy and disturbed environments like waste areas around towns. Its flowering period occurs from March to May.
ECO System Qatar
Rocky desert ecosystem:The Qatar peninsula's interior consists of flat, rocky plains with hardy life forms surviving and offering hunting spaces for predators. Stony deserts with sand, pebbles, and limestone emerge at the center, featuring gravel plains and eroded limestone formations. Three stony desert types are noted: Hamada, tough exposed zones prone to surface fracturing due to extreme summer heat; Hofuf, plains with a light gravel layer; and Wadis, dry channels filling after heavy rains.
PUBLICATIONS AND RESEARCH
Abdel Bary, Ekhlas M. M. (2012). The Flora of Qatar. 2 volumes (700 pages, 199 pages) : color illustrations, maps ; 28 cm. Doha: Qatar University Environmental Studies Center. OCLC: 875112803. MMS ID: 991000252609706691. English. Volume 1: The Dicotyledons -- Volume 2: The Monocotyledons
UNESCO Office in Doha. (n.d.). An Illustrated Checklist of the Flora of Qatar. Authors: John Norton, Sara Abdul Majid, Debbie Allan, Mohammed Al Safran, Benno Böer, & Renee Richer. [Unpublished manuscript]. Richer, R., Knees, S., Norton, J., & Sergeev, A. (2022). Hidden Beauty: An Exploration of Qatar’s Native and Naturalised Flora. Hardcover. April 30, 2022.