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Deering partridge pea Chamaecrista deeringiana
Fabaceae
Copyright by: James Johnson, 2014 In habitat, Everglades National Park, Florida Expand
General Landscape Uses:
Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. Also wildflower and butterfly gardens.
Ecological Restoration Notes: It can be used as one of many understory herbs in pine rocklands.
Availability:
Grown by enthusiasts.
Description: Medium perennial herbaceous wildflower.
Dimensions: Typically 1-3 feet in height. Sometimes as tall as broad, but often spreading.
Growth Rate: Moderate.
Range:
Southeastern United States south to the Monroe County Keys. Very rare in South Florida outside of Miami-Dade County. Perhaps never present or exirpated in Broward County. Presumed extirpated in the Monroe County Keys where collected once on Big Pine Keys in 1912.
Soils: Moist, well-drained limestone or sandy soils, without humus.
Nutritional Requirements: Low; it grows in nutrient poor soils.
Salt Water Tolerance: Low; does not tolerate long-term flooding by salt or brackish water.
Salt Wind Tolerance: Moderate; grows near salt water, but is protected from direct salt spray by other vegetation.
Drought Tolerance: High; does not require any supplemental water once established.
Light Requirements: Full sun.
Flower Color: Yellow petals; red anthers.
Flower Characteristics: Showy.
Flowering Season: All year.
Fruit: Inconspicuous pod (legume).
Wildlife and Ecology: Provides food for birds. Larval host plant for cloudless sulphur (Phoebis sennae) butterflies. Likely attracts bee pollinators.
Horticultural Notes: Can be grown from seed. Plant in a pot with 2" or more of potting soil and spinkle soil over seeds to just cover them. Place in full sun or light shade. Keep moist.
References: Miami-Dade County Landscape Manual (2005).
Comments: Distinguished from the annual partridge pea (C. fasciculata) by its red (vs. yellow) anthers.
Copyright by: James Johnson, 2014 In habitat, Everglades National Park, Florida Expand
Copyright by: George D. Gann, 2015 In habitat, Long Pine Key, Everglades National Park, Florida
Copyright by: George D. Gann, 2015 In habitat, Long Pine Key, Everglades National Park, Florida
Copyright by: Roger L. Hammer
Other data on Chamaecrista deeringiana available from:
Map of select IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Map of suggested ZIP codes from South Florida north to southern Brevard, Osceola, Polk, and Pasco counties.
