Coffee Senna

Senna occidentalis

Found in disturbed places. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

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Not native

Not native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 82%

Height: 3–6 feet
Spread: 3–4 feet
Light: Full sun
Soil moisture: Usually moist

Senna occidentalis — foliage photograph — (c) Juan Cruzado Cortés, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original photograph

At a glance

Life cycle: Annual or perennial
Bloom: July to August
Fruiting season: August to November

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Not yet recorded · Leaves

Recorded in 33 Alabama counties.

Habitats

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground.

Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there. All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

16CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Cassia

Phoebis sennaeCloudless Sulphur
Abaeis nicippeSleepy Orange, Sleepy Yellow, Erratic Orange
Amyelois transitellaNavel Orangeworm
Automeris ioIo Moth
Choristoneura obsoletanaObsolete Leafroller
Colias eurythemeOrange Sulphur, Alfalfa Butterfly
Epargyreus clarusSilver-Spotted Skipper
Eumarozia malachitanaSculptured Moth
Eurema dairaBarred Yellow, Barred Sulphur
Lesmone detrahensDetracted Owlet

Show all 16

Platynota rostranaOmnivorous Platynota
Pleuroprucha insulsariaCommon Tan Wave
Pyrisitia lisaLittle Yellow, Little Sulphur, Lisa Yellow
Selenisa sueroidesTailpipes, Pale-Edged Selenisa Moth
Uresiphita reversalisGenista Caterpillar, Genista Cbroom Moth
Zale lunataLunate Zale

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

—BeesSoutheastern regional records

—Specialist beesPollen specialists

2BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Cassia

Pipilo maculatusSpotted Towhee
Zonotrichia leucophrysWhite-crowned Sparrow

Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Fabaceae
Hardiness: Zones 9a–11b
Soil pH: Neutral to alkaline
Flower color: Yellow or orange
Fruit begins: August
Fruit ends: November

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “July to August” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “Yellow or orange” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Fruit begins · “August” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Fruit ends · “November” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Hardiness · “Zones 9a–11b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Height · “3–6 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Life cycle · “Annual or perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Soil · “Moist” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Soil pH · “Neutral to alkaline” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Spread · “3–4 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Also known as

Cassia occidentalis

Conservation status

Alabama rank	SNA
Global rank	GNR
AL status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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