Sidebeak Pencil-flower

Stylosanthes biflora

Found in longleaf pine sandhills, dry to moist (but not wet) pine savannas and flatwoods, dry forests, woodlands, woodland borders, glades, barrens, rock outcrops. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Florida edition What its natural habitat tells you

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

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Height: Up to about 2 feet
Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture: Somewhat dry to moist

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Stylosanthes biflora — whole photograph — (c) Laura Clark, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original photograph

At a glance

Life cycle: Perennial
Bloom: June to August
Fruiting season: July to October

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Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 43 Florida counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 7

Trail on Little Kennesaw Mountain. — Named place / source context. Shown: Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Georgia, a neighboring state.Trail on Little Kennesaw Mountain., Unidentified in HFC record, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Wooded scene looking out over partially open fields — Named place / source context. Shown: Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, Georgia and Tennessee; which part is not recorded, a neighboring state.Wooded scene looking out over partially open fields, Richard Schlecht, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Trees and rocks on Little Kennesaw Mountain. — Named place / source context. Shown: Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Georgia, a neighboring state.Trees and rocks on Little Kennesaw Mountain., Unidentified in HFC record, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Dry, deep-sand ridges with longleaf pine and turkey oak, kept open by fire.

Open, fire-kept longleaf pine stands over grasses and wildflowers on wet to moist sandy soil.

Flat, sandy Coastal Plain pine woodlands, wetter than sandhills and denser than savannas.

Dry forests and woodlands

Forests and open woodlands on dry ridges and slopes, often oak or pine.

Also found with this plant

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

White-eyed Vireo
Vireo griseus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
White-throated Sparrow
Zonotrichia albicollis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Wild Turkey
Meleagris gallopavo
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Sphyrapicus varius
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Yellow-breasted Chat
Icteria virens
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Dendroica coronata
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Yellow-throated Warbler
Dendroica dominica
Birds. 1 shared habitat

All wildlife of Florida

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

5CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Stylosanthes

Chloridea virescensTobacco Budworm Moth
Eurema dairaBarred Yellow, Barred Sulphur
Pyrisitia niseMimosa Yellow, Blacktip Sulphur, Jamaican Sulphur
Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
Stegasta bosqueellaRed-Necked Peanutworm

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

1BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Stylosanthes

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

—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

1AntsRecorded seed interactions

Pogonomyrmex badius

Pogonomyrmex badius: Seed predation.

Adult butterflies / moths 1

Eurema lisa

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

No records yet · Beetles · Flies · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Fabaceae
Hardiness: Zones 4a–9b
Soil pH: Acidic
Flower color: Yellow or orange
Fruit begins: July
Fruit ends: October

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

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “June to August” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “Yellow or orange” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
Fruit begins · “July” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
Fruit ends · “October” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
Hardiness · “Zones 4a–9b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Height · “Up to about 2 feet” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Soil · “Moist; Occasionally dry” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Soil pH · “Acidic” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Also known as

Pencil Flower; Sidebeak Pencil flower

Conservation status

Florida rank	S3S4
Global rank	G5
FL status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources