Senna Spectabilis

Senna Spectabilis Latest News

Uprooting of the highly invasive plant Senna Spectabilis has been going on in Male Mahadeshwara Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, and soon after its uprooting, the area cleared will be replaced by grass cover, among other forest plant species, to increase fodder availability.

About Senna Spectabilis

• It is a versatile, flowering tree belonging to the family Fabaceae native to the tropical Americas. 
• Common names: Popcorn Bush Cedar, Archibald’s Cassia, Calceolaria Cassia, Golden Shower, Golden Wonder, Scented Shower, Fetid Cassia.
• It is admired for its vivid yellow blossoms and its capacity to grow in a variety of climates, making it a popular choice as an ornamental tree in gardens and parks worldwide.
• However, this adaptability has led to it becoming invasive in some regions of the world.
• It forms dense, sterile thickets, choking out native plants, altering soil chemistry and depriving herbivores of food.
• It typically grows between 7 to 15 meters in height and has a spreading, rounded crown. 
• The bright yellow flowers, arranged in large terminal panicles, bloom from summer to fall.
  • It resembles Kerala’s state flower, Cassia fistula, known locally as kanikkonna.
• This tree prefers sunny areas and welldrained, loamy soils but is adaptable to various soil types. 
• Once established, Senna spectabilis can tolerate drought, making it suitable for both dry and tropical regions.
• It is classified as Least Concern under the IUCN Red List.
• Challenges: It has a very aggressive growth rate and degrades lands in forest ecosystems, which make it challenging to control its spread.

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Key Facts about Male Mahadeshwara Hills Wildlife Sanctuary

• It is located at the intersection of the Western and the Eastern Ghats and falls in the Chamarajanagara District of Karnataka.
• It is contiguous to Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple (BRT) Tiger Reserve, Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, and the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary.
• It’s the home of the famous Male Mahadeshwara Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, known here as Mahadeshwara.
• It is bound by the Kaveri River to the northeast and by the Palar River to the south.
• Flora: The forests are principally of the dry deciduous type, degrading to scrub forest in the fringe areas, and are interspersed with patches of moist deciduous, semi-evergreen, evergreen and shola forests occurring at varying altitudes.
• Fauna: 
  • It is home to several animals, including elephants, Indian bison, wild dogs, leopards, foxes, sambars, spotted deer, and many species of birds.
  • It is also a tiger habitat noted for its increasing number of tigers.

News: DC