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sensitive partridge pea

Scientific Name: Chamaecrista nictitans ssp. nictitans var. nictita

Family: Fabaceae

Category: Dicot

Growth: Subshrub, Forb/herb

Duration: Annual, Perennial

Other Names:

       

Chamaecrista nictitans: Sensitive Partridge Pea

Chamaecrista nictitans, commonly known as sensitive partridge pea, sensitive pea, small partridge pea, or wild sensitive plant, is a herbaceous legume species. It is known for its leaves that are often sensitive to touch, folding when disturbed.

Considerations for Pets and Children

  • The plant has pinnately-compound leaves made up of numerous leaflets.
  • Leaves are sometimes sensitive to touch, folding when disturbed.

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

  • Scientific Name: Chamaecrista nictitans
  • Common Names: Sensitive partridge pea, sensitive pea, small partridge pea, wild sensitive plant. Other common names include sleeping plant, prairie partridge pea, showy partridge pea, prairie senna, large-flowered sensitive-pea, dwarf cassia, partridge pea senna, and sensitive plant.
  • Kingdom: Plantae
  • Family: Fabaceae (Pea Family)
  • Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae
  • Taxonomic Rank: Subspecies
  • Synonym: Cassia nictitans

Distribution and Habitat

  • Native to North America.
  • Widespread and locally common.
  • A Jamaican TYPE specimen was collected in 1786 from a damp ditch.
  • Occurs in similar habitats to the closely related C. nictitans.

Morphology and Growth Habits

  • A slender-stemmed annual, growing up to 1 foot tall, sometimes 1-3 feet.
  • Low-growing pea with yellow flowers and pinnately-divided leaves.
  • Stems are erect, slender, glabrous to minutely pubescent, usually branched with branches ascending to widely.
  • Each compound leaf has up to 20 leaflets.

Ecological Role

  • Nitrogen-fixing annual, useful for rebuilding soil.
  • Partridge pea seeds provide food for quail, prairie-chickens, pheasants, ducks, and other grassland birds.
  • A caterpillar food plant for a number of butterflies.
  • An important part of the winter ecosystem.

Quirky Facts

  • The leaflets fold together when touched with a finger and close completely at night because they are sensitive to light.