Partridge Pea

Did you know

• The leaflets fold shut at night and instantly when touched — same trick as sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica).
• Its seeds are a staple food for bobwhite quail, prairie chickens, and dozens of songbirds — hence 'partridge pea'.
• It is one of the very few annual legumes native to the eastern prairies and pinelands.
• Both the cloudless sulphur and the little yellow butterfly use it as a caterpillar host plant.
• Like other legumes, its roots host nitrogen-fixing bacteria that fertilize the surrounding soil naturally.

Color meanings

Uses

• pollinator strips
• soil restoration
• wildlife seed mixes
• butterfly host plant