14 - SENA EMPENADA Chamaecrista desvauxii var. latistipula G.P.Lewis (LEGUMINOSAE)
14- Sena empenada - Chamaecrista desvauxii var. latistipula GPLewis (LEGUMINOSAE)
Sub-shrub up to 1.4 m tall, erect, with little branching. Leaves 5 to 8 cm long, rounded, hairless, cardboard texture and characteristic coloring. Flowers 3 to 6 cm long, yellow like many legumes. Seeds in vegetables up to 5 cm long by 0.5 cm wide, with seeds of 0.4 cm x 0.2 cm, rectangular.
The bluish green color and the shape covered with “scales”, in contrast to the color of the red earth in the background, was so strange that it looked like it was exploring a flora from Mars. Yellow flowers also stood out, and the late afternoon light created an atmosphere that completed the effect. Really, the warped sena is a native plant so far from everyday life that it seems out of this world.
The ancient naturalistic explorers who crossed the planet in search of novelties came across things that are common today, but imagine the first European who saw an anteater and his job to describe it to others. Today a lot is accessible, we can travel, buy and see news, and we get used to a constant strangeness rhythm. The exotic became accessible on the shelves of a supermarket.
Distribution: South America, in open and sunny fields.
Situation in São Paulo: Common, found in fragments of cerrado. It reproduces a lot in some places, forming large groups, and it is easy to visualize on the side of roads.
How to plant: The pods are collected and the seeds are removed to simply bury and water, without needing a special land. I've seen it being born and developing right in the middle of rubble. New seedlings can be transplanted, which grow very quickly at the edge of the mother plant in full sun.
Uses: Recommended for ecological restoration because it is native legume and not very invasive. Great ornamental potential does not understand why it is not normally seen in gardens.
DANTAS, MM; SILVA, MJ. THE GENUS CHAMAECRISTA (LEGUMINOSAE, CAESALPINIOIDEAE, CASSIEAE) IN THE SERRA DOURADA STATE PARK, GOIÁS, BRAZIL. RODRIGUÉIA, V. 64, N. 3, P. 581-595, 2013.
DURIGAN, G. PLANTS OF THE CERRADO PAULISTA: IMAGES OF A THREATENED LANDSCAPE. PÁGINAS & LETRAS EDITORA E GRÁFICA, 2004.
Capins-rabo-de-burro, no Cerrado Infinito da Nascente.
Espécie introduzida no cotidiano urbano pelo projeto. Hoje tem gente que desenvolve mudas colhendo sementes das plantas do Cerrado Infinito.
Confirmei que se tratava de uma planta de cerrado vendo o Guia de plantas do cerrado paulista da Giselda Durigan, ela é uma grande especialista do cerrado no estado de São Paulo.
Este aluno da Escola Estadual Jardim das Camélias, viu essa planta crescer no segundo Cerrado Infinito, na Escola Estadual Jardim das Camélias. Para ele foi fácil de identificar no guia de campo.
Esplendorosa no meio de um terreno baldio repleto de braquiárias e lixo. Note o solo bem "pobre".
É muito bom constatar 'in loco', a intuição. A planta que sempre vi em terrenos degradados, estava na minha frente no meio de um fragmento bem relevante e biodiverso da UFSCAR, em São Carlos.
Coletando sementes de capim Rabo de Burro, não tem segredo, terrinha, sol, e uma boa irrigação, e BUM! Você terá centenas de mudas!