About Senna gaudichaudii (Hook. & Arn.) H.S.Irwin & Barneby
Senna gaudichaudii (Hook. & Arn.) H.S.Irwin & Barneby most often grows as a shrub or tree, typically reaching a height of 2 to 3 meters (6 feet 7 inches to 9 feet 10 inches), and sometimes grows as a tree-top vine. Its new growth is sometimes covered in soft, golden-yellow hairs. The leaves are pinnate, and are 50 to 100 millimeters (2.0 to 3.9 inches) long, borne on a petiole that is 10 to 30 millimeters (0.39 to 1.18 inches) long. Leaves usually have three to five pairs of oblong to egg-shaped leaflets, with the narrower end oriented toward the base of the leaflet. Most leaflets are 20 to 50 millimeters (0.79 to 1.97 inches) long and 7 to 15 millimeters (0.28 to 0.59 inches) wide, and are usually spaced 6 to 10 millimeters (0.24 to 0.39 inches) apart. Up to three stalked glands grow between the lowest pairs of leaflets. The flowers are yellow, grouped in clusters of four to ten that grow from upper leaf axils. Clusters form on a peduncle 30 to 50 millimeters (1.2 to 2.0 inches) long, and each individual flower grows on a pedicel 20 to 30 millimeters (0.79 to 1.18 inches) long. The petals are 10 to 15 millimeters (0.39 to 0.59 inches) long, and each flower has ten fertile stamens with anthers around 5 to 7 millimeters (0.20 to 0.28 inches) long. In Australia, flowering occurs from February to October. The fruit is a flat pod, 100 to 150 millimeters (3.9 to 5.9 inches) long, about 10 millimeters (0.39 inches) wide, and slightly curved. This species occurs in Fiji, Hawaii, Java, the Lesser Sunda Islands, the Maluku Islands, New Caledonia, Pitcairn Island, Queensland, the Society Islands, Tubuai and Vanuatu. In Hawaii, S. gaudichaudii grows in dry, sheltered locations on rocky slopes and in disturbed sites. It is found on all Hawaiian islands except Niihau and Kahoʻolawe, at elevations ranging from near sea level up to 910 meters (3,000 feet). In Australia, the species grows in forest and drier sites within rainforest, in coastal and subcoastal eastern Queensland and on Cape York Peninsula.
