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Common Partridge-pea

Chamaecrista fasciculata

71
Strong

Native to Florida. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
About 2.4 feet
Spread
1–3 feet
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Somewhat dry to moist

Space about 2 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 25 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Annual
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
Early summer
Fruiting season
Summer

Recorded in 66 Florida counties.

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Florida. Shared habitat, not food. 79 animals.

All wildlife of Florida

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

31CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Cassia

  • Phoebis sennaeCloudless Sulphur
  • Abaeis nicippeSleepy Orange, Sleepy Yellow, Erratic Orange
  • Amyelois transitellaNavel Orangeworm
  • Anabasis ochrodesmaCassia Webworm Moth
  • Aphrissa statiraStatira Sulphur, Migrant Sulphur; Florida Statira Sulphur
  • Ascalapha odorataBlack Witch
  • Automeris ioIo Moth
  • Choristoneura obsoletanaObsolete Leafroller
  • Colias eurythemeOrange Sulphur, Alfalfa Butterfly
  • Epargyreus clarusSilver-Spotted Skipper
Show all 31
  • Erechthias minusculaCaribbean Scavenger Moth
  • Eumarozia malachitanaSculptured Moth
  • Eurema dairaBarred Yellow, Barred Sulphur
  • Fundella pellucensCaribbean Podborer
  • Hemiargus ceraunusCeraunus Blue, Antillean Blue
  • Leptotes cassiusCassius Blue, Tropical Striped Blue
  • Lesmone detrahensDetracted Owlet
  • Phoebis agaritheLarge Orange Sulphur, Orange Giant Sulphur
  • Phoebis phileaOrange-Barred Sulphur
  • Platynota rostranaOmnivorous Platynota
  • Pleuroprucha insulsariaCommon Tan Wave
  • Psamatodes abydataDot-Lined Angle
  • Pyrisitia lisaLittle Yellow, Little Sulphur, Lisa Yellow
  • Pyrisitia niseMimosa Yellow, Blacktip Sulphur, Jamaican Sulphur
  • Selenisa sueroidesTailpipes, Pale-Edged Selenisa Moth
  • Thysania zenobiaOwl Moth
  • Trichordestra legitimaStriped Garden Caterpillar Moth
  • Uresiphita reversalisGenista Caterpillar, Genista Cbroom Moth
  • Zale lunataLunate Zale
  • Anypsipyla univitella
  • Lesmone formularis
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
24BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Chamaecrista

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
2BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Chamaecrista

  • Colinus virginianusNorthern Bobwhite
  • Cyrtonyx montezumaeMontezuma Quail
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Fabaceae
Hardiness
Zones 3a–9b
Soil pH
Acidic to neutral
Flower color
Yellow or red
Growth rate
Rapid
Growth habit
Grows in clumps
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Summer
Fruit ends
Summer

What its natural habitat tells you

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
  • Bloom · “Early summer” · USDA PLANTS (ranked first; Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differs) · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Flower color · “Yellow or red” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ)
  • Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Fruit begins · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Fruit ends · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Growth habit · “Grows in clumps” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Growth rate · “Rapid” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Hardiness · “Zones 3a–9b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder differs)
  • Height · “About 2.4 feet” · USDA PLANTS (ranked first; Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, Minnesota Wildflowers, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ) · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Life cycle · “Annual” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain, Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ)
  • Soil · “Moist; Occasionally dry” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain, Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ)
  • Soil pH · “Acidic to neutral” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Spread · “1–3 feet” · Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder
Also known as

Cassia fasciculata; Common Partridge Pea

Conservation status

Florida rankS5
Global rankG5
FL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources