Partridge Pea Seeds (Chamaecrista fasciculata), Organic

Partridge Pea has lacy green foliage, bright yellow flowers and maroon seed pods.  It is a legume, and it fixes nitrogen in soil where it grows, making it beneficial to some lean soils. It has also been used to help prevent erosion and to help stabilize stream banks.  Additionally, as an annual flower the short taproot of Partridge Pea breaks up soil, but will decompose and naturally compost in place each year.

Partridge Pea really has a unique appearance in that it looks like a cross between a fern and yellow wildflower. The foliage is interesting to look at and is almost mimosa-like, while the yellow flowers add great color for most of the Summer.  It’s foliage tends to fold up when touched.  

The large, one-inch yellow flowers with brownish-red markings attract bees that harvest the pollen and some butterflies, including caterpillars of the Little Orange, Cloudless Sulfur, and Sleepy Orange Butterflies all use the plant as a host for their larvae. 

The partridge pea produces attractive maroon seed pods in autumn that are eaten by game birds (such as quail, turkey, and grouse), songbirds and other wildlife, including white tail deer, and these plants also provide cover for ground-feeding birds. It is often included in food plot seed mixes for its value as wildlife food.

The plant has small structures on its stems known as “extrafloral nectaries” that provide small amounts of nectar attracting predatory insects that help protect the plant from herbivores. Bumblebees also harvest this nectar, often spending more effort visiting the extrafloral nectaries than the flowers.

While it prefers sunny upland areas that are somewhat dry, it is adaptable to a fairly wide range of growing conditions. Partridge pea is considered an annual or a short-lived perennial.