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Ecological relationships
Who uses this plant?
14CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including KY
Genus host records with ranges including KY · 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
- Lesmone detrahensDetracted Owlet
- Pleuroprucha insulsariaCommon Tan Wave
Show all 14
- Pyrisitia lisaLittle Yellow, Little Sulphur, Lisa Yellow
- Trichordestra legitimaStriped Garden Caterpillar Moth
- Uresiphita reversalisGenista Caterpillar, Genista Cbroom Moth
- Zale lunataLunate Zale
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
Growing and identification
Plant details
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Hardiness
- Zones 5a–10b
- Flower color
- Yellow
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Flower color · “Yellow” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Hardiness · “Zones 5a–10b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Height · “2–5 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Life cycle · “Annual” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- primary_flower_color · “yellow” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Soil · “Moist; Occasionally dry” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Spread · “2–5 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Also known as
Cassia obtusifolia; Coffeeweed; Java Bean Senna
Conservation status
| Kentucky rank | S4S5 |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5 |
| KY status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
Sources
- tnky_atlas
- usda
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications


