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sensitive partridge pea
Scientific Name: Chamaecrista nictitans ssp. nictitans var. diffusa
Family: Fabaceae
Category: Dicot
Growth: Subshrub, Forb/herb
Duration: Annual, Perennial
Other Names:
Chamaecrista nictitans: The Sensitive Partridge Pea
Chamaecrista nictitans, also known as the sensitive partridge pea, sensitive pea, small partridge pea, or wild sensitive plant, is a herbaceous legume found in various habitats.
Considerations for Pets and Children
- The plant has pinnately-compound leaves made up of numerous leaflets.
- The leaflets are sensitive to touch and fold when disturbed.
Taxonomy and Nomenclature
- Scientific Name: Chamaecrista nictitans (L.) Moench var. nictitans
- Family: Fabaceae (Pea Family), Subfamily Caesalpinioideae
- Kingdom: Plantae
- Taxonomic Rank: Subspecies
- Synonym: Cassia nictitans
- Common Names: Sensitive partridge pea, sensitive plant, partridge pea, wild sensitive plant, sensitive pea, small partridge pea.
Distribution and Habitat
- Native to North America.
- Widespread and locally common.
- A specimen was collected in 1786 from a damp ditch in Jamaica.
- Often found along path edges.
Ecological Role
- Nitrogen-fixing annual, useful for rebuilding soil.
- Partridge pea seeds provide food for quail, prairie-chickens, pheasants, ducks and other grassland birds.
- Nectar is produced by the plant.
- A caterpillar food plant for a number of butterflies.
Morphological Characteristics
- Slender-stemmed annual, typically up to 1 foot tall, but sometimes reaching 1-3 feet.
- Erect, slender stems, glabrous to minutely pubescent, usually branched with ascending branches.
- Pinnately-compound leaves with up to 20 leaflets per leaf.
- Leaves sometimes sensitive to touch, folding when disturbed.
- Has distinctive sensitive plant-like leaves.
- Small but prominent yellow flowers.
Quirky Facts
- The leaflets close completely at night because they are sensitive to light too.
Similar Species
- Chamaecrista fasciculata (Partridge Pea): Also called sleeping plant, sensitive plant, showy partridge pea. Leaves are sensitive to the touch.
- Small-flowered, or sensitive partridge pea (C. nictitans): is about half as tall, branches a bit more, and has inconspicuous flowers no bigger than Greene.
Additional Information
- The closely related Wild Sensitive Plant (C. nictitans) occurs in similar habitats.
- Available on Wikimedia Commons with the file name: File:Chamaecrista nictitans - Sensitive Partridge Pea.jpg.