partridge pea
Chamaecrista fasciculata
  • FAMILY: FABACEAE
  • ALTERNATE COMMON NAME:
  • LEAVES: alternate, pinnately compound, 8 to 15 pairs of linear leaflets with inequalateral bases; petiole with single stalked gland; persistent stipules
  • FLOWER: yellow, upper petal smaller, 1 1/4 inch diameter; 10 stamen; opens in morning, wilted by afternoon; flowers July to October
  • FRUIT: legume, 2.5 to 3 inches; flat
  • TWIGS:
  • FORM: erect annual shrub; 3 - 5 ft; slender to branched
  • HABITAT: widely distributed on alluvial soils
  • WETLAND DESIGNATION: Facultative Upland (FACU): Usually occurs in non-wetlands, but may occur in wetlands of the Atlantic and Gulf Coast Plain Region
  • RANGE: Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi
  • USES: excellent quail food
  • Best Recognition Features:
    1. yellow, pea-like flowers
    2. pinnately compound leaves; small shrub
    3. 3-inch, flat legume