''Colutea'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of about 28

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

flowering

shrubs A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

in the legume family Fabaceae, growing from 2–5 m tall, native to southern

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, north

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

and southwest

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

. The

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

are

pinnate Pinnation (also called pennation) is the arrangement of feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis. Pinnation occurs in biological morphology, in crystals, such as some forms of ice or metal crystals, and ...

and light green to glaucous grey-green. The

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

s are yellow to orange, pea-shaped and produced in

racemes A raceme () or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the shoo ...

throughout the summer. These are followed by the attractive inflated seed pods which change from pale green to red or copper in colour. ''

Colutea arborescens ''Colutea arborescens'' is a species of leguminous shrub known by the common name bladder-senna. It is native to Europe and North Africa, but it is known on other continents where it is grown as an ornamental and used in landscaping for erosio ...

'', known as bladder senna—

John Gerard John Gerard (also John Gerarde, 1545–1612) was an English herbalist with a large garden in Holborn, now part of London. His 1,484-page illustrated ''Herball, or Generall Historie of Plantes'', first published in 1597, became a popular garde ...

cautioned, however, that they are not true senna, "though we have followed others in giving it to name Bastard Sena, which name is very unproper to it"—is indigenous to the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

; it has yellow flowers. It has a height and spread of up to 5 m. Other species include ''

Colutea orientalis ''Colutea orientalis'' is a species of Fabaceae, leguminous shrub native to Europe and Asia. It is a deciduous, grey-leafed, bushy shrub that grows to a height of up to 2 m (6 ft). It bears clusters of small yellow and coppery-red flowe ...

'', with grey leaves and coppery flowers.

Species

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online taxonomic database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. History Following the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew launched Plants of the World Online i ...

accepted the following species: *'' Colutea abyssinica'' Kunth & C.D.Bouché *''

Colutea acutifolia ''Colutea'' is a genus of about 28 species of deciduous flowering shrubs in the legume family Fabaceae, growing from 2–5 m tall, native to southern Europe, north Africa and southwest Asia. The leaves are pinnate and light green to glaucous gre ...

'' Shap. *''

Colutea afghanica ''Colutea'' is a genus of about 28 species of deciduous flowering shrubs in the legume family Fabaceae, growing from 2–5 m tall, native to southern Europe, north Africa and southwest Asia. The leaves are pinnate and light green to glaucous gre ...

'' Browicz *''

'' L. *''

Colutea armata ''Colutea'' is a genus of about 28 species of deciduous flowering shrubs in the legume family Fabaceae, growing from 2–5 m tall, native to southern Europe, north Africa and southwest Asia. The leaves are pinnate and light green to glaucous gre ...

'' Hemsl. & Lace *''

Colutea armena ''Colutea'' is a genus of about 28 species of deciduous flowering shrubs in the legume family Fabaceae, growing from 2–5 m tall, native to southern Europe, north Africa and southwest Asia. The leaves are pinnate and light green to glaucous gre ...

'' Boiss. & A.Huet *''

Colutea atabajevii ''Colutea'' is a genus of about 28 species of deciduous flowering shrubs in the legume family Fabaceae, growing from 2–5 m tall, native to southern Europe, north Africa and southwest Asia. The leaves are pinnate and light green to glaucous gre ...

'' B.Fedtsch. *''

Colutea atlantica ''Colutea'' is a genus of about 28 species of deciduous flowering shrubs in the legume family Fabaceae, growing from 2–5 m tall, native to southern Europe, north Africa and southwest Asia. The leaves are pinnate and light green to glaucous gre ...

'' Browicz *''

Colutea brachyptera ''Colutea'' is a genus of about 28 species of deciduous flowering shrubs in the legume family Fabaceae, growing from 2–5 m tall, native to southern Europe, north Africa and southwest Asia. The leaves are pinnate and light green to glaucous gre ...

'' Sumnev. *''

Colutea brevialata ''Colutea'' is a genus of about 28 species of deciduous flowering shrubs in the legume family Fabaceae, growing from 2–5 m tall, native to southern Europe, north Africa and southwest Asia. The leaves are pinnate and light green to glaucous gre ...

'' Lange *''

Colutea buhsei ''Colutea'' is a genus of about 28 species of deciduous flowering shrubs in the legume family Fabaceae, growing from 2–5 m tall, native to southern Europe, north Africa and southwest Asia. The leaves are pinnate and light green to glaucous gre ...

'' (Boiss.) Shap. *''

Colutea cilicica ''Colutea'' is a genus of about 28 species of deciduous flowering shrubs in the legume family Fabaceae, growing from 2–5 m tall, native to southern Europe, north Africa and southwest Asia. The leaves are pinnate and light green to glaucous gre ...

'' Boiss. & Balansa *'' Colutea delavayi'' Franch. *'' Colutea gifana'' Parsa *''

Colutea gracilis ''Colutea'' is a genus of about 28 species of deciduous flowering shrubs in the legume family Fabaceae, growing from 2–5 m tall, native to southern Europe, north Africa and southwest Asia. The leaves are pinnate and light green to glaucous gre ...

'' Freyn & Sint. *'' Colutea insularis'' Browicz *'' Colutea istria'' Mill. *'' Colutea jamnolenkoi'' Shap. *'' Colutea komarovii'' Takht. *'' Colutea melanocalyx'' Boiss. & Heldr. *'' Colutea multiflora'' Shap. ex Ali *'' Colutea nepalensis'' Sims *''

'' Mill. *''

Colutea paulsenii ''Colutea'' is a genus of about 28 species of deciduous flowering shrubs in the legume family Fabaceae, growing from 2–5 m tall, native to southern Europe, north Africa and southwest Asia. The leaves are pinnate and light green to glaucous gre ...

'' Freyn *'' Colutea persica'' Boiss. *''

Colutea porphyrogramma ''Colutea'' is a genus of about 28 species of deciduous flowering shrubs in the legume family Fabaceae, growing from 2–5 m tall, native to southern Europe, north Africa and southwest Asia. The leaves are pinnate and light green to glaucous gre ...

'' Rech.f. *''

Colutea triphylla ''Colutea'' is a genus of about 28 species of deciduous flowering shrubs in the legume family Fabaceae, growing from 2–5 m tall, native to southern Europe, north Africa and southwest Asia. The leaves are pinnate and light green to glaucous gre ...

'' Bunge ex Boiss. *''

Colutea uniflora ''Colutea'' is a genus of about 28 species of deciduous flowering shrubs in the Fabaceae, legume family Fabaceae, growing from 2–5 m tall, native to southern Europe, north Africa and southwest Asia. The leaf, leaves are pinnate and light green ...

'' Beck ex Stapf * ''Colutea'' × ''variabilis'' Browicz

Cultivation and uses

''Colutea arborescens'', is in general cultivation in the UK. It was imported early, before 1568, probably for medicinal purposes, but now is grown mostly for its attractive

seed In botany, a seed is a plant structure containing an embryo and stored nutrients in a protective coat called a ''testa''. More generally, the term "seed" means anything that can be Sowing, sown, which may include seed and husk or tuber. Seeds ...

pods., used in dried arrangements. Though in Virginia

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...

had it and it appears in Lady Jean Skipwith's lists of plants, in US gardens, it is little more than a marginal curiosity. ''Colutea arborescens'' will grow in poor sandy

soils Soil, also commonly referred to as earth, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, water, and organisms that together support the life of plants and soil organisms. Some scientific definitions distinguish dirt from ''soil'' by restri ...

in preference to heavy or

loam Loam (in geology and soil science) is soil composed mostly of sand (particle size > ), silt (particle size > ), and a smaller amount of clay (particle size < ). By weight, its mineral composition is about 40–40–20% concentration of sand–si ...

y soils. It has become naturalised in the UK, where it established itself in the sharp drainage of railway embankments. It is easy to propagate from seed. It is generally pest resistant, though garden

snails A snail is a shelled gastropod. The name is most often applied to land snails, terrestrial molluscs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs. However, the common name ''snail'' is also used for most of the members of the molluscan class Gas ...

will climb up the plant in wet weather to eat the leaves. The

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two diff ...

''Colutea × media'' (''C. arborescens'' × '' C. orientalis'') is also cultivated for its coppery flowers. ''Colutea'' species are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

e of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organ ...

species including '' Coleophora colutella''. The

Bedouins The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu ( ; , singular ) are pastorally nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia (Iraq). The Bedouin originated in the Sy ...

of the Sinai and

Negev The Negev ( ; ) or Naqab (), is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its southern end is the Gulf of Aqaba and the resort town, resort city ...

would, in times of scarcity, eat the seeds of ''Colutea istria''.

References

*''The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening'' ed. A. Huxley, 1992. Galegeae Fabaceae genera Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Faboideae-stub