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sensitive partridge pea
Scientific Name: Chamaecrista nictitans ssp. patellaria var. patell
Family: Fabaceae
Category: Dicot
Growth: Subshrub, Forb/herb
Duration: Annual, Perennial
Other Names:
Chamaecrista nictitans: Sensitive Partridge Pea
Chamaecrista nictitans, also known as sensitive cassia, sensitive partridge pea, small partridge pea, or wild sensitive plant, is a herbaceous legume species.
Considerations for Pets
- The plant has pinnately-compound leaves, potentially attractive to curious pets.
Considerations for Children
- The leaflets are known to fold together when touched, which can be intriguing for children.
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. Other common names include sleeping plant, prairie partridge pea, showy partridge pea, prairie senna, large-flowered sensitive-pea, dwarf cassia, golden cassia, and locust weed.
Distribution and Habitat
- Native to North America.
- Widespread and locally common.
- Found in damp ditches.
Ecological Role
- Nitrogen-fixing annual, useful for rebuilding soil.
- Seeds provide food for quail, prairie-chickens, pheasants, ducks, and other grassland birds.
- Nectar is a food source for pollinators.
- Caterpillar food plant for a number of butterflies.
Morphological Characteristics
- Slender-stemmed annual, typically up to 1 foot tall, but some sources suggest up to 3 feet.
- Low-growing pea with yellow flowers.
- Pinnately-divided leaves with up to 20 leaflets.
- Erect, slender stems, glabrous to minutely pubescent, usually branched with ascending to widely spread branches.
- Leaves sometimes sensitive to touch, folding when disturbed. Leaflets also close completely at night.
- Flowers are small but prominent yellow.
Quirky Facts
- The leaflets fold together when touched with a finger and close completely at night because they are sensitive to light too.
Similar Species
- Chamaecrista fasciculata: Showy partridge pea, also called sleeping plant or sensitive plant, which has leaves that are sensitive to the touch.
Further Information
- Dave's Garden: A community that shares tips and ideas for gardens, along with seeds and plants.
- Wikimedia Commons: For images (e.g., File:Chamaecrista nictitans - Sensitive Partridge Pea.jpg).