Sensitive partridge pea

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Sensitive partridge pea flowers

Sensitive partridge pea

Sensitive partridge pea fruit

Sensitive partridge pea

Sensitive partridge pea

Sensitive partridge pea leaf

Morphology

Stem

Erect, slender, glabrous to minutely pubescent, usually branched; branches ascending to widely spreading.

Leaves

Alternate, short-stalked, once even-pinnately compound, .8 to 2.4 inches long; leaflets 6-22 pairs, narrowly oblong, 1/4 to 3/5 inch long, 1/25 to 1/8 inch wide, usually glabrous; margins fringed; tip rounded with bristle; stipules persistent, linear-lanceolate, 1/6 to 1/3 inch long, tapering to point.

Inflorescence

Solitary flower or 2-3 clustered in leaf axils.

Flower

Inconspicuous; stalk 1/12 to 1/6 inch long, minutely pubescent; sepals 5, united near base, lanceolate, 1/8 to 1/5 inch long, minutely pubescent; petals 5, yellow, unequal, 1/8 to 1/3 inch long, lowest petal twice as long as others; stamens 5, unequal; filaments very short; anthers pink to rose. Flowers tend to wilt by mid-day.

Fruit

Pod, erect, straight or slightly curved, linear-oblong, .8 to 1.6 inch long, 1/8 to 1/4 inch wide, flat, minutely pubescent or smooth, mostly 5- to 10-seeded; seeds nearly square, about 1/8 inch, black, shiny.

Ecology

Habitat

Open rocky woods and thickets, upland slopes, prairies, roadsides, fallow fields, disturbed areas; dry sandy or rocky soils.

Distribution

Southeast 1/8 of Kansas

Practical Information

Toxicity

The fruits and seeds may cause mild digestive tract irritation when consumed in large quantities.

Forage Value

Seeds eaten by turkeys and bobwhite quail. Foliage eaten by cattle and sheep.

Uses

Native Americans used the plant in a compound infusion to treat faintness and the roots were used medicinally to enhance stamina when competing in sport games.

Additional Notes