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Chamaecrista fasciculata
Partridge Pea
Sleepingplant
Synonym(s): Chamaecrista deeringiana
Florida native
A common annual of sandhills, open hamocks, flatwoods, dunes and disturbed sites throughout nearly all of Florida. The range extends through the eastern United States, north to Massachusetts and New York, west into Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and New Mexico. Listed as an invasive species in Ontario.
The alternate even-pinnately compound leaves are made up of linear spine-tipped leaflets. The leaves are somewhat sensitive to touch, light and temperature, but not to the extant of C. nictitans. The petioles have a round gland near the middle. The yellow five-petaled flowers are 2-3.5 cm (~ 3/4 - 1-1/2 in.) across on stalks growing from the leaf axils. Te calyx is made up of 5 narrow, smooth lobes. There are ten stamens of unequal size, purple and/or yellow. The fruit pod is narrow and hairy, 3-7 cm (1-1/8 - 2-3/4 in.) long.
An American bumble bee can be seen in some of these photos.
Chamaecrista fasciculata is a member of the Fabaceae - Pea family.
Other species of the Chamaecrista genus in the Wild Florida Photo database:
Chamaecrista lineata var. keyensis - NARROWPOD SENSITIVE PEA
Chamaecrista nictitans var. nictitans - PARTRIDGE PEA
Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants (Institute for Systemic Botany) profile for this species
Wildflowers of the Southeastern United States profile for this species
USDA Plant Profile for this species
Date record last modified: Aug 18, 2022
