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Publication #SP 37

 

Partridge Pea, Cassia fasciculata Michx.1

David W. Hall, Vernon V. Vandiver, and Brent A. Sellers2

Classification

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.


[Click thumbnail to enlarge.]

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.


[Click thumbnail to enlarge.]

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 SP 37, one of a series of the Agronomy Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Original publication date May 1991. Revised February 2006. Reviewed January 2012. 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.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

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. Nick T. Place, Dean.