How to Grow and Care for Partridge Pea

The partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata) is also known as "sleeping plant" or "sensitive plant." It was once classified as part of the Cassia genus, so it is sometimes also known as golden cassia. Its small feathery leaves are greenish-yellow and tend to fold up when touched.

Partridge pea has large, one-inch yellow flowers with brownish-red markings. The flowers attract bees that harvest the pollen and some butterflies, including Orange Sulphur and Sleepy Orange, use the plant as a host for their larvae.

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.

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 partridge pea is actually 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.

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.

Partridge Pea Care

This wild plant grows freely and needs little or no care. If you're growing it you may want to deadhead it or cut it back in autumn to keep it looking neat. Trimming the seedpods before they split may control its spread also.

Light

Partridge pea prefers full to part sun. It won't grow in shady conditions.

Soil

This plant adapts well to a variety of soil conditions, including clay, sand, rocky soils, and loam. If trying to propagate by seed, give it a good start in some sandy loam.

Water

No extra watering is needed unless there's an extreme drought. But partridge pea tends to be very drought tolerant and suitable to dry conditions.

Temperature and Humidity

Partridge pea can handle heat and cold very well, and is suited to climates with a wide range of daily temperature fluctuations. It prefers a somewhat dry habitat such as prairie or meadow and does not tend to proliferate in a humid environment and can develop mildew and leaf spot.

Growing Partridge Pea from Seed

This plant reseeds naturally once established. If you're planting for the first time, you'll probably want to try winter sowing or cold stratification for the seeds to give them a proper start. The seeds have a hard outer shell and may also need to be scarified to get them to germinate. You can use sandpaper for this.

Plant in a seed tray with potting mix, about a half inch deep, and place where it gets morning sun and afternoon shade. Keep moist. Seedlings should begin to germinate in about two weeks. When the plants are two inches tall you can transplant them outside, after the last frost date.