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Partridge Pea, Cassia fasciculata Michx.1
David W. Hall, Vernon V. Vandiver, and Brent A. Sellers2Classification
Common Name: Partridge Pea
- Scientific Name: Cassia fasciculata Michx.
Family: Leguminosae (Fabaceae), Bean Family
Seedling
The cotyledons are less than 1.0 cm long and about 0.5 cm across, with three prominent midveins and a red area where the cotyledon joins the stem ( Figure 1 ).
Figure 1. Seedling, Partridge Pea, Cassia fasciculata Michx. Mature plant
Partridge Pea is a smooth or hairy annual, 20-100 cm tall, and arises from a tap root ( Figure 2 ). The leaves have a distinct gland midway along the stalk and are compound. Each leaf has 12-36 linear leaflets which are 1-3 cm long and 2-6 mm wide. The sides of the leaflet are usually of different widths. The stipules have whitish veins running parallel with the midvein. The flowers are borne in clusters of 1-6, in the leaf axis. The flowers have yellow petals and 10 unequal stamens. The fruit is a smooth to hairy bean, which is 3-7 cm long and 5-7 mm broad. The seeds are flat, dark brown and about 0.3 cm wide.
Figure 2. Mature plant, Partridge Pea, Cassia fasciculata Michx. History
Cassia is ancient Greek for an aromatic plant. The Latin name fasciculata means clustered and refers to the flower and eventual fruit clusters.Habitat
This weed is found throughout Florida in disturbed sandy soils. The range extends throughout the southeastern United States.Biology
The flowers are a source of honey. The seeds and leaves are purgative. Ingesting large amounts of this plant is thought to be harmful, as animals have been poisoned.
Footnotes
1. This document is an excerpt from Weeds in Florida, SP 37, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Publication date: May 1991. Revised: March 2006. Please visit the EDIS Website at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.2. David W. Hall, former extension botanist, Herbarium, Florida Museum of Natural History; Vernon V. Vandiver, associate professor emeritus, Agronomy Department; Brent A. Sellers, assistant professor, Agronomy Department, Range Cattle Research and Education Center--Ona, FL; Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville FL 32611.
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U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Larry Arrington, Dean.
Copyright Information
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