Cassia (fasciculata)

John M. Englert USDA NRCS - Norman A. Berg National Plant Materials Center Bldg. 509, BARC - East, E. Beaver Dam Road Beltsville, Maryland 20705 (301) 504-8175 (301) 504-8741 (fax) john.englert@wdc.usda.gov http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/mdpmc/

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Family Scientific Name:	Caesalpiniaceae
Family Common Name:	Caesalpinia Family
Scientific Name:	Cassia fasciculata
Common Name:	Partridge-pea
Species Code:	CASFAS
Ecotype:	Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
General Distribution:	Cassia fasciculata grows in sandy or dry soils in open areas, from Massachusetts to Minnesota south to Texas and Florida.
Propagation Goal:	plants
Propagation Method:	seed
ProductType:	Container (plug)
Time To Grow:	0
Target Specifications:	Stock Type: Annual legume plug. Scarified and innoculated seed is usually direct-sown into a prepared planting area, however plugs are being grown to introduce plants into an already vegetated area. Height: 4-6 inches. Root System: Roots are thin and do not completely fill plug cells before the plant has started to flower. The roots of plugs planted in multipots tore when pulled, so plugs are now planted in 72 trays.
Propagule Collection:	Collected at Great Smoky Mountains National Park at Tremont Road northbound spur before tunnel, FHP East (Old Paulownia burn) by G. Taylor, A. Johnson and J. Marshall in October 1994 (3 accessions).
Propagule Processing:	Seed Processing: Seed is harvested in late October with a combine and cleaned with a debearder and large clipper - screens #4 bottom and #11 top, medium air. Seed storage: Seed is stored in seed bags in NPMC cooler @ 40§F, 35% relative humidity. Seed dormancy: Mechanical. Seeds/Kg: 125,000. Germination: 57% (1998 seed). Purity: 97-100%.
Pre-Planting Treatments:	Seed Treatments: Seed is scarified for 50 seconds in pulses prior to planting (15, 15, 10 and 5 seconds). It is then inoculated with a slurry of nitrogen-fixing rhizobium appropriate to the species.
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	Propagation Environment: Greenhouse with alternating day/night temperatures; daytime temperatures vary from 70-85§; night temperatures average around 65-68§F. Plugs were grown under 14-16 extended days with high pressure sodium lighting from 4:30-10:30 p.m. to keep them vegetative. Seed Propagation Method: Hand-sown. Container Type and Volume: 72 plug trays. Growing Media: Sunshine #5 with no nitrogen fertilizer. Supplemental P and K plus micronutrients may be added.
Establishment Phase:	Sowing/Planting Technique: Scarified seed is inoculated with slurry of rhizobium, spread in one layer on blotter paper and held under mist until germination occurs. Germinated seedlings are immediately planted in 72 trays. If germination test is high, scarified and inoculated seeds are sown directly onto media in 72 trays and held under mist until germinated. (1-2 days). Sowing Date: In the future we would sow seed about 70 days before outplanting date (March for May planting). Perhaps there would be enough natural light to keep plants vegetative. % Emergence and Date: Seeds germinate on blotter paper under mist within 3 days. Germinated seeds can be picked out and planted into media in plug trays. Seeds surface-sown on media and placed under mist March 28, 2001 began to germinate within a day. Establishment Phase: Cassia is quick to establish. Foliage is delicate and responds immediately to dry media by wilting, even though it is found in dry infertile places natively.
Active Growth Phase:	Rapid Growth Phase: Provide 14 hour extended days to delay flowering. Plants will develop a good canopy and may start to flower in the greenhouse before roots fill the plug cell if light intensity is low. Deterioration of the plants often follow flowering. Have tried a top layer cut back to remove buds and encourage new growth. Plants on one occasion flowered in plug trays during the winter, and re-seeded themselves in time for outplanting. Nitrogen fixing nodules are found on mature roots within 70 days.
Hardening Phase:	Hardening Phase: Plants are moved outdoors, weather permitting, two weeks before outplanting to a sheltered location.
Harvesting, Storage and Shipping:	Total Time to Harvest: Plugs were ready for outplanting about 70 days post germination (around mid-March). Roots had formed a semi-firm plug, stems were rigid and flower buds had appeared. Seed storage: Seed is stored in seed bags in NPMC cooler @ 40§F, 35% relative humidity.
Other Comments:	Cassia leaflets fold together in low light and sometimes when stressed.
References:	Manual of Vascular Plants, Gleason and Cronquist, D. Van Nostrand Co., 1963. Herbaceous Plants of Maryland, Brown and Brown, Port City Press, 1984.

Citation:

Davis, Kathy M.; Kujawski, Jennifer. 2001. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Cassia fasciculata plants USDA NRCS - Norman A. Berg National Plant Materials Center Beltsville, Maryland. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2024/07/01). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.