Senna obtusifolia, commonly known as sicklepod, is an often short-lived, upright to sometimes sprawling, herbaceous perennial of the pea/bean family that typically grows to 2 1/2’ tall, featuring compound-pinnate light green leaves and yellow flowers. It has a variable growth habit, occasionally appearing in some areas as a sub-shrub rising to as much as 5’ tall or as an annual. In North America, it is typically found growing on wooded slopes and ravines in the Southeastern and Midwestern U.S., but has naturalized into a variety of other areas as a weed of disturbed soils. The USDA currently defines its native U.S. territory as extending from New York to Nebraska south to Texas and Florida. It has been introduced into California and Hawaii with subsequent naturalization occurring. It is now classified as a noxious weed in the State of California. Notwithstanding its presence in North America, it also grows in the wild in Central America, South America, Asia, Africa and Oceania.
