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Hairypod Cowpea

Vigna luteola

In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in edges of freshwater tidal marshes, beaches, hammocks, disturbed areas, railroad embankments, low fields, in the outer Coastal Plain. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

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Not native

Not native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 65%

Light
Partial shade, Full sun
Soil moisture
Dry to wet

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
July to September
Fruiting season
August to October

Not yet recorded · Height · Spread · Leaves

Height: NC species account not read yet.

Spread and leaves: no source found yet.

Recorded in 1 Virginia county.

Natural habitats

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

1 of 3

Coastal dunes and beaches

Core Banks dunes, June 2013
Dune grassland. Shown: Core Banks, Cape Lookout, North Carolina, a neighboring state.Core Banks dunes, June 2013, Jarek Tuszyński, June 2013. CC BY-SA 3.0. Source record.

Freshwater tidal marshes

Marshes along tidal rivers where the water is fresh but rises and falls with the tide.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

23CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Vigna

  • Achyra rantalisGarden Webworm Moth
  • Agrotis vetustaOld Man Dart
  • Amyna strictaEight-Spot Moth
  • Anomis flavaTropical Anomis Moth
  • Anticarsia gemmatalisVelvetbean Caterpillar Moth
  • Argyrogramma verrucaGolden Looper
  • Chrysodeixis includensSoybean Looper Moth
  • Elasmopalpus lignosellaLesser Cornstalk Borer
  • Estigmene acreaSalt Marsh Moth, Acrea Moth
  • Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
Show all 23
  • Euptoieta claudiaVariegated Fritillary, (?)Gulf Fritillary
  • Feltia subterraneaSubterranean Dart, Granulate Cutworm
  • Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
  • Hypena scabraGreen Cloverworm Bomolocha, Black Snout
  • Leptostales pannariaPannaria Wave
  • Platynota flavedanaBlack-Shaded Platynota
  • Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Spoladea recurvalisHawaiian Beet Webworm
  • Strymon melinusGray Hairstreak
  • Telegonus cellusGolden Banded-Skipper , Golden-Banded Skipper
  • Trichoplusia niNi Moth, Cabbage Looper Moth
  • Urbanus proteusLong-Tailed Skipper, Bean Leaf Roller
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist beesPollen specialists
1BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

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

  • Colinus virginianusNorthern Bobwhite
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
Flower color
Yellow
Fruit begins
August
Fruit ends
October

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

Growing sources and scope
  • Bloom · “July to September” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Flower color · “Yellow” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
  • Fruit begins · “August” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Fruit ends · “October” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Life cycle · “Perennial” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
  • Light · “Partial shade; Full sun (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • primary_flower_color · “yellow” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
  • Soil · “Dry; Moist; Wet (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia

Conservation status

Virginia rankSNR
Global rankG5
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Native alternatives

Find natives for your garden

Sources