Senna alexandrinaAlexandrian Senna

The Senna alexandrina, commonly known as the Alexandrian Senna, is an upright, open shrub of the dry country of north east Africa, Arabia and India. It carries pale blue-green pinnate leaves with narrow pointed leaflets and upright racemes of clear yellow flowers, followed by flat papery pods.

It grows fast, flowers freely and needs almost no water, and it has a long documented history as a cultivated medicinal crop across the region. It is used in native restoration, low-water shrub mass and heritage or ethnobotanical planting.

Specifications

• Height0.6 to 2 metres
• Width0.6 to 1.5 metres
• Native toNorth east Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and the Indian subcontinent
• FoliagePale blue-green pinnate leaves with narrow pointed leaflets; semi-deciduous in drought
• Growth rateFast

Conditions

• SoilPrefers sandy and gravelly soils with free drainage; tolerates poor and alkaline ground
• LightFull sun
• WaterVery low; strongly drought-tolerant once established
• ClimateThrives in hot arid and semi-arid regions with high summer temperatures

Additional Features

• FlowersUpright racemes of clear yellow flowers held above the foliage through the warm months
• UsesNative restoration, low-water shrub mass, verge and embankment planting, heritage and ethnobotanical gardens
• SpacingPlant 1 to 1.5 metres apart for a continuous shrub mass
• Low MaintenanceCut back after flowering to hold shape; no feeding or spraying required
• Pest ResistanceFree of significant pest and disease problems in dry climates
• Drought ToleranceVery high, flowering on rainfall alone in its native range
• Cultural SignificanceOne of the oldest cultivated medicinal plants of the region, traded from Arabia and Egypt for centuries
• Wildlife AttractionFlowers are worked steadily by bees through the flowering season

The Alexandrian Senna gives quick, bright flowering cover on dry ground and carries a genuine regional story with it.