[2] Individuals of this species are deciduous, perennial herbs, and shrubs up to 60 cm tall.

There is a small reddish gland between each leaflet pair on the rhachis of arachoides subspecies.

[2] Flowers of Senna italica, are actinomorphic and the inflorescence takes the form of axillary racemes, which are about 2–25 cm long.

Petals of these flowers are usually yellow or orange in color, up to 13 mm long and are of obovate shape.

Rhombic to ovate bracts are conspicuously present, but very small in size (up to 5mm long).

Fruits are oblong or ellipsoidal; they are strongly curved, falcate, bent or lunate shaped.

It is also native to Asia, from the Middle East to Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and India to Sri Lanka.

Subspecies micrantha is mostly seen from Southern Ethiopia and Somalia southwards to Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

[2] Senna italica can be seen in grassland of the drier regions of tropical Africa, from sea level up to 1850m altitude.

Usually, it is found close to streams and in sandy and disturbed habitats, such as, waste places about towns and country dwellings, abandoned gardens, roadsides etc.

[2] In West African languages, this tree is called mbali or balibali in Bambara, and laïdur in Wolof.

Dried, powdered leaves are traded internationally from Egypt or India as hair conditioner.

[2] There are collections of Senna italica in the gene banks in Palestine, the United Kingdom and Namibia.