Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses

SLICK-SEED BEAN

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Strophostyles leiosperma (T. & G. ) Piper

Geary County, Kansas

Annual

Height: Low trailing or climbing vine

Family: Fabaceae - bean Family

Flowering Period: June, July, August, September

Also Called:

Smooth-seed wild bean, slick-seed fuzzy-bean, small-flowered wild bean, small wild bean.

Stems:

Single or several from branching base, slender, 8 to 40+ inches, low trailing or climbing, often branching above, with stiff spreading hairs to soft long hairs or sometimes nearly smooth.

Leaves:

Two forms; leaves of lowest 1-4 nodes usually opposite, simple, kidney-shaped, 1/3 to 2/5 inch long, margins entire, rarely observed; principal leaves alternate, pinnately 3-foliolate; leaflets narrowly elliptic to oblong-lanceolate or linear-oblong, 4/5 to 2 inches long, 1/4 to 2/5 inch wide, usually unlobed or rarely with indentation on one side or shallow lobed, plus or minus pubescent on both surfaces.

Inflorescences:

Nearly head-like, 1-few-flowered, on stalks in leaf axils; stalks 1.2 to 4 inches long; bracts at base of calyx small, lanceolate, green, densely hairy.

Flowers:

Calyx tube irregular, bell-shaped, 1/16 to 1/12 inch long, densely stiff-hairy, 2-lipped, upper lobe with 2 united teeth, lower lobe with 3 teeth, middle tooth longest; corolla papilionaceous, 1/5 to 1/3 inch long, pinkish to pale purple, fading yellowish or rarely greenish; banner 1/3 inch long, circular to broadly egg-shaped, sides folded over other petals; wings much shorter than keel; keel curved upward into beak which points back into flower; beak dark spotted; stamens 10, arranged in two groups.

Fruits:

Pod, sessile, linear, .6 to 1.8 inch long, nearly round, very pubescent; seeds several, 1/8 to 1/6 inch long, gray or brown with black or purplish markings, smooth and shiny at maturity.

Habitat:

Sandy open areas, sandy prairies, dunes, stream banks , roadsides, fallow fields, infrequently in rocky open woods; dry or moist sandy soil.

Distribution:

Throughout Kansas

Origin:

Native

Comments:

From Greek stropo "twining" or "twisting".

Slick-seed bean