Carried by 2 nurseries
View Availability at NurseryData provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria
View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora
Senna covesii (Desert Senna, Coues' Senna, Rattleweed, "rattlebox", "dais" or "Cove Senna") is a perennial subshrub in the family Fabaceae, native to the Mojave Desert in southeastern California, southern Nevada, and Arizona in the United States, and northern Baja California in Mexico. It is found on desert plains and in sandy washes between 500-600 meter altitude, and very common in Joshua Tree National Park, and is also found in the Sonoran Desert. The specific name honors ornithologist Elliott Coues. It grows to 30-60 centimeter tall, and is leafless most of the year. The leaves are pinnate, 3-7 centimeter long, with 2-3 pairs of leaflets (no terminal leaflet), the leaflets elliptical, 1-2.5 centimeter long. The flowers are yellow in color, with five rounded petals about 12 millimeter long.
Perennial herb
1 - 2 ft Tall
Yellow
Spring
Full Sun
Very Low
Moderate
Fast
For propagating by seed: No treatment.
Dry, sandy slopes and desert washes
Creosote Bush Scrub
Butterflies and moths supported
2 confirmed and 2 likely
Sleepy Orange
Abaeis nicippe
Cloudless Sulphur
Phoebis sennae
Salt Marsh Moth
Estigmene acrea
Black-tipped Rudenia Moth
Rudenia leguminana