Common Bladder Senna is a deciduous, flowering, perennial shrub with a rounded habit in the Fabaceae or bean family that grows to 8 to 10 feet high. Yellow pea-like flowers appear in spring on the current season's growth and will often continue to bloom sparsely and intermittently throughout the summer. Flowers give way to inflated, bladder-like, 3 inch long seed pods (hence the common name). The genus name comes from the Greek word kolutea for these shrubs. Common Bladder Senna prefers full sun and tolerates a range of soil types from course to fine. It will do well in average, dry to medium moisture, well-drained soils. It can be quite aggressive and is considered weedy in some areas, but it takes well to pruning to control growth in late winter to early spring. It does not do well in hot, humid conditions, but is noted for its drought tolerance. Common Bladder Senna is often grown as an ornamental and because it has a root structure of about 20 inches, it can be used as a hedge or to control erosion. It is typically sold as a bare root plant, but can be propagated from cuttings or seed. Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Compound, odd-pinnate, 3 to 6 inch, bright green leaves; 9 to 13 leaflets, and non-showy fall color.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow; Orange; Pink
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Raceme
Flower shape
Cup
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Small flowers may be pink, yellow, or orange appear in May borne on 2 to 4 inch long racemes. Flowers appear in spring, but often continue to bloom sparsely and intermittently throughout the summer.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit color
Brown/Copper; Green; Pink
Fruit type
Legume
Fruit size
1-3 inches long
Fruit detail
Flowers give way to inflated, bladder-like, 3 inch long seed pods which exhibit variable coloration (green to pink to bronze to purple).