partridge pea close up

Partridge Pea – Plant

LATIN NAME
Chamaecrista fasciculata

LONGEVITY
Annual

ORIGIN
Native

DETAILS:

  • Warm-season, native, reseeding annual legume.
  • This 1 to 4-foot plant has several branches that grow both erect and prostrate, forming dense stands.
  • “Comanche” variety is more widely-adapted than other varieties of partridge peas. It grows well in several soil types, but favors sandy to sandy loams.
  • Rainfall of 19 inches or more improves growth.
  • During the growing season from July to September, plants are covered with showy, yellow, pea-type flowers.
  • Seed pods are dark brown, flat, and pea-shaped having 10 to 20 seeds per pod.
  • Leaves are dark green.
  • Often used for area stabilization and reclamation.
  • Game birds especially benefit from the food and cover provided.
  • Livestock do not graze as readily as they do other plants, which makes Partridge Peas suited for erosion control.
  • Will fix nitrogen in the soil that will help stimulate growth of grass.
  • Planting should be in a weed-free, firm seedbed in the spring. Seed should be drilled ¼ to ½ inch deep at a rate of approximately 13 pure live seed pounds per acre.

QUALITY TRAITS