Chamaecrista absus

Kearney and Peebles 1969

Duration: Annual Nativity: Non-Native Lifeform: Forb/Herb General: Herbaceous annuals, stems glandular-hirsute. Leaves: Pinnate, leaflets in 2 pairs, 6 mm wide or wider, obovate to oval, thin, with ciliate surfaces. Flowers: Yellow, petals nearly equal, to 5 mm long, stamens 5-10, in racemes or pannicles, or solitary in leaf axils. Fruits: Pods, sparsely long-hirsute. Seeds obovate, smooth, black and shiny. Ecology: Found on granitic slopes and ridges, around 5,000 ft (1524 m); flowering September. Distribution: Widely distributed in tropical America, supposed to have been introduced from the Old World. Notes: Distinguished from Chamaecrista nictitans, by the much more obovate leaves, rather than the elliptical in C. nictitans. Ethnobotany: Unknown, but other species in the genus have uses. Etymology: Chamaecrista come from Greek chamae, dwarf and crista for cross, while absus is of uncertain origin. Synonyms: Cassia absus, Chamaecrista absus var. absus Editor: LCrumbacher2012