Partridge Pea is a slender-stemmed, native, annual wildflower. It grows one to three feet tall. Its inch to 1-1/2-inch-wide yellow flowers grow in a row along the main stem. Each flower is made of five teardrop-shaped petals with a dark reddish center. The two to three-inch alternate, compound leaves are made of 20 to 30 leaflets that are 1/2-inch-long. The leaflets fold together when touched. It enjoys dry, deep, sandy, well-drained soil.
It is a keystone species in many prairie and restoration landscapes. Its bright yellow blooms attract a wide array of pollinators, including bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. But it is almost exclusively pollinated by long-tongued bees. Notably, it serves as a host plant for the cloudless sulphur, little yellow, and gray hair streak butterflies, supporting their life cycles from caterpillar to adult. The seeds are a valuable food source for birds like quail and other ground-feeding species, while its deep roots help break up compacted soil and improve water infiltration. As a legume, Partridge Pea fixes nitrogen in the soil, enhancing fertility for neighboring plants and making it a popular choice for cover cropping and land reclamation. Indigenous communities historically used it for medicinal purposes—the Cherokee brewed infusions for fainting spells and fatigue, while the Seminole used decoctions to ease nausea. Its leaves were applied as poultices for skin irritations and brewed into teas for rheumatism and digestive discomfort. Though modern research into its medicinal properties is still limited, its ecological significance remains significant. (SF)
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Every native plant species you add to your yard supports mutual relationships and increased biodiversity. Partridge pea is a great example of adapted ecosystem relationships. The flowers don’t have nectar, but supply abundant pollen to worker bumble bees during peak bee season in July when the bee larva are being raised and require the protein rich pollen for development. This common eastern worker is buzz pollinating the flower by vibrating her wings to shake the pollen out of the closed anthers, a specialized mutual relationship bumble bees developed with partridge pea as they evolved together for thousands of years. Bumble bees gather abundant pollen while performing the most efficient method of pollination that will result in the best seed production. Partridge pea is an annual, and needs prolific seeds for reseeding, its only form of reproduction.
Like every native species, Partridge pea has evolved many specialized relationships in the ecosystem. It also supplies pollen for two species of pollen specialist solitary bees that need the pea pollen to feed their young. It is also the larval host for many butterflies and moths, including Sulphurs, Blues, Hairstreaks and the beautiful Io moth.
The yellow arrows in the photo point to EFN, extrafloral nectaries. These little cups on the stems hold nectar, and evolved to attract ants to feed on the plant, and protect it from foliage eating insects. Legumes family plants account for about 30% of species that have EFNs, and the evolved mutual relationship with ants.
Another ecosystem supporting role of Partridge pea and other legumes is their symbiotic relationship with nitrogen fixing soil bacteria. The bacteria feed on plant sugars in root nodules, and in return the bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia that the plant can use. Legumes family plants in your garden mean useable nitrogen for other plants also.
No need for fertilizers and pesticides in a diverse healthy ecosystem. Nature has already evolved the necessary relationships. We just have to shrink turf grass and plant layered, dense, diverse trees, shrubs, flowers, grasses, sedges and rushes to allow species to flourish, leave natural habitat for nesting, hibernation and shelter, and avoid all pesticide and fertilizer use. Adding chemical fertilizer harms the soil bacteria that produce ammonia naturally. Madison WI 12/18/25