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Partridge Pea

Chamaecrista fasciculata

Other common name(s):

Sleepingplant, Sensitive Plant

Family:

Fabaceae (Pea Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Central Great Plains, Cross Timbers, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, High Plains, Southern Texas Plains, Southwestern Tablelands, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Broken Red Plains, Red Prairie
Eastern Cross Timbers, Grand Prairie, Western Cross Timbers
Bastrop Lost Pines, Floodplains and Low Terraces2, Northern Post Oak Savanna, Northern Prairie Outliers, San Antonio Prairie, Southern Post Oak Savanna
Balcones Canyonlands
Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Texas-Louisiana Coastal Marshes
Shinnery Sands
Northern Nueces Alluvial Plains, Texas-Tamaulipan Thornscrub
Canadian/Cimarron Breaks
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie, Southern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods, Floodplains and Low Terraces3, Pleistocene Fluvial Terraces, Red River Bottomlands, Southern Tertiary Uplands, Tertiary Uplands

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Herbaceous

Height

1
to
3
ft.

Spread

1
to
3
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Annual

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Sand, Deep, Well Drained, Dry

Light Requirement

Sun, Part Shade

Water Requirement

Low, Medium

Native Habitat

Grassland, Woodland

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

Yellow

Bloom Season

Summer, Fall

Seasonal Interest

Seeds, Forage, Nectar, Larval Host

Wildlife Benefit

Butterflies, Birds, Deer, Bees

Maintenance

Like other members of the pea family, Partridge-pea requires the presence of microorganisms that inhabit nodules on the plant’s root system and produce nitrogen compounds necessary for the plant’s survival. Propagation: Seed.

Comments

Blooms June-October. Partridge Pea is a slender-stemmed annual. The pinnately-compound leaves fold when touched. The flowers are large, showy and yellow. Each flower is marked with red and is followed by a narrow pod. This is an excellent wildlife resource plant. Laval host: Cloudless Giant Sulphur.
Previous Scientific Name(s): Synonym/s: Cassia fasciculata

References

1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CHFA2. 3) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Chamaecrista+fasciculata&formsubmit=Search+Terms. 4) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=10819&locationType=County&mapType=Normal. 5) Miller, George O., Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas 2nd Ed., 2013, pg 52, 6) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=501383#null

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State Office Phone: 830.997.9272

State Office Address:
Native Plant Society of Texas
PO Box 3017
Fredericksburg, TX 78624

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