Seymeria pectinata

Seymeria pectinata
Photo taken by Kevin Robertson
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class:	Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Order:	Scrophulariales
Family:	Scrophulariaceae
Genus:	Seymeria
Species:	S. pectinata
Binomial name
Seymeria pectinata Pursh
Natural range of Seymeria pectinata from USDA NRCS Plants Database.

Common name: piedmont blacksenna

Description

“The entire plant covered with stiff nonglandular hairs. The stem can grow up to 75cm tall, widely and stiffly branched, the longest branches arising near the base of the plant. The leaves are deeply divided with segments borader than 1 mm. The flowers are solid yellow, 1 cm long, hairy on the exterior. The capsule is ovoid, 5 mm long, covered with glandular hairs.” – Musselman and Mann 1978.

Distribution

“Combleaf seymeria is much more restricted in its distribution than senna seymeria (Seymeria cassioides) and also has a much broader host range. It prefers drier sites (such as turkey oak-scrub oak woods) than S. cassioides, but on rare occasions both may be found growing together. We have found no evidence of hybridization between the two species. In our previous studies S. pectinata parasitized yellow poplar, blackgum, water tupelo, pecan, sweetgum, green American sycamore, and four different pines. These species are not present in the communities where S. pectinata grows, which indicates a pathogen potential, especially on drier sites in the Deep South. “ – Musselman and Mann 1978.

Ecology

Habitat

In the Coastal Plain in Florida and Georgia, S. pectinata can occur in open woodlands, flat longleaf pine-wiregrass communities, sand live oak groves, and sandridges (FSU Herbarium). It also occurs along roads. Soils include sandy soil and loamy sand (FSU Herbarium).

Phenology

Flowers and fruits in September (FSU Herbarium).

Pollination

Deyrup conducted a study and observed these bees, Augochlorella aurata, Augochloropsis sumptuosa, Dialictus placidensis, Anthidiellum notatum rufimaculatum, A. perplexum, Coelioxys sayi, Megachile brevis pseudobrevis, M. mendica, M. petulans, and Bombus impatiens, on S. pectinata (2002).

The following Hymenoptera families and species were observed visiting flowers of Seymeria pectinata at Archbold Biological Station (Deyrup 2015):

Halictidae: Augochlorella aurata, Augochloropsis sumptuosa, Lasioglossum placidensis

Megachilidae: Anthidiellum notatum rufomaculatum, Anthidiellum perplexum, Coelioxys sayi, Megachile brevis pseudobrevis, M. mendica, M. petulans

References and notes

• Deyrup, M.A. and N.D. 2015. Database of observations of Hymenoptera visitations to flowers of plants on Archbold Biological Station, Florida, USA.

• Deyrup, Mark, Jayanthi Edirisinghe, and Beth Norden. 2002. The Diversity and Floral Hosts of Bees at the Archbold Biological Station, Florida (Hymenoptera: Apoidea). Insect Mundi 16.1-3: 87-120.

• Florida State University Robert K. Godfrey Herbarium database. URL: http://herbarium.bio.fsu.edu. Last accessed: July 2015. Collectors: Loran C. Anderson, R. A. Norris, Robert K. Godfrey, Cecil R Slaughter. States and Counties: Florida: Duval, Franklin, Gadsden, Leon, Liberty, Madison. Georgia: Grady, Thomas. Compiled by Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy.

• Musselman, Lytton J., and William F. Mann, Jr. "Root Parasites of Southern Forests." Southern Forest Experiment Station (1978.