Senna didymobotry

If you’re wondering how this plant gets its name, just lean in and sniff or rub its leaves. You get the unmistakable fragrance of buttered popcorn. Tropical in appearance, it is closely related to Candelabra but a bit shorter and has its golden yellow blooms open up from cool black-colored buds. Popcorn Shrub can flower intermittently from spring on but has its best display in late summer and fall. Don’t let children or pets nibble on the plant as it is slightly toxic. You may get a few sulfur butterfly caterpillars feeding on its leaves, but no deer. We collected seed of this species on our 2009 trip to Kenya but 2020 is our first time to offer this tropical east African native.