FAMILY: FABACEAE

ALTERNATE COMMON NAME:

LEAVES: alternate, deciduous, pinnately compound; may be 2 feet long; many small leaflets (20-70)

FLOWER: racemes of 2 to 6 yellow, pea-like flowers

FRUIT: legume, up to 8 inches long, very narrow, less than 5 mm

FORM: annual plant, to about 2 meters

HABITAT: margins of fresh water marsh, river banks, levees in salt marshes, fields and disturbed sites

WETLAND DESIGNATION: facultative wetland(FACW-); usually (67-99%) found in wetlands

RANGE: Piedmont and coastal plain from New York to Florida to Texas

USES: limited use; seeds are poisonous to humans; it is often considered a weed in agricultural fields, and in areas managed for waterfowl

Brief Recognition Features:

1. pinnately compound leaves with many leaflets
2. racemes with 2 to 6 yellow flowers
3. long, narrow legume