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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 Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 82%

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

At a glance

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

Not yet recorded · Leaves

Recorded in 3 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

14CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Cassia

  • Phoebis sennaeCloudless Sulphur
  • Abaeis nicippeSleepy Orange, Sleepy Yellow, Erratic Orange
  • Automeris ioIo Moth
  • Choristoneura obsoletanaObsolete Leafroller
  • Colias eurythemeOrange Sulphur, Alfalfa Butterfly
  • Epargyreus clarusSilver-Spotted Skipper
  • Eumarozia malachitanaSculptured Moth
  • Lesmone detrahensDetracted Owlet
  • Platynota rostranaOmnivorous Platynota
  • 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
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
Also known as

Cassia occidentalis

Conservation status

Virginia rankSNA
Global rankGNR
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Native alternatives

Find natives for your garden

Sources