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Chamaecrista nictitans

(L.) Moench (1794)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Eudicot-Rosids Order: Fabales Family: Fabaceae Genus: Chamaecrista

laukī [lauki], partridge pea

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Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Annual or weakly perennial herbs 5–20 dm tall, with extrafloral nectaries (glands) on petioles (in Hawai'i).

Stems:

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves compound (paripinnate). Alternate. Leaves 2–10(–14) cm long; leaflets opposite, 10–26(–31) pairs. linear to linear–oblanceolate, usually folding within a few minutes of collection if not already folded, 4–24 mm long, ca. 1.4 mm wide. Surfaces glabrous or lower surface sometimes puberulent. Leaflet margins entire. 5–13-veined. Petioles with 1–2 petiolar saucer–shaped or cup–shaped nectaries, 0.4–1.2 mm in diameter. Stipules present, lanceolate, 5–15 mm long.

Flowers: Flowers 1 to few in very short axillary racemes. Flowers caesalpinaceous. bracteoles lanceolate, ca. 2–2.5 mm long, pedicels 1.5–8 mm long, thickened and 2–12 mm long in fruit. Calyx lobes imbricate, linear–lanceolate, 5–7.5 mm long. Petals yellow, 2–3 of them narrowly obovate to oblanceolate, 5–7 mm long, 1 petal obovate–cuneate, 6–10 mm long. Stamens 10; filaments straight, short; anthers basifixed puberulent along lateral sutures, dehiscent. Ovary superior.

Fruit: Pods strongly compressed; rarely winged; elastically dehiscent; the valves coiled. Pods linear–oblong; ± falcate; 2.2–5 cm long; usually pilose; occasionally puberulent; or rarely glabrous. Seeds dark brown; smooth and dull; except with a few small glossy depressions; quadrangular; ca. 2 mm long; with a dilated funiculus; without pleurograms.

Ploidy: 2n = 16; 32; 48

Habitat: Dry to mesic; disturbed sites.

Elevation Range: 3–1,130 m.

Historical Distribution

Images

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Uses and Culture

USES

Natural History

Statewide Status

Naturalized

Island Status

Ni'ihau(Incl. Lehua) Naturalized
Kaua'i Naturalized
O'ahu Naturalized
Molokai Naturalized
Lana'i Naturalized
Kaho'olawe Naturalized
Maui Potentially Naturalizing
Hawai'i Naturalized

Dispersal Agents


Pollinators

Specimens

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Notes

  • 3-1, 130 m
  • Description digitized by McKenna Bonn-Savage
  • Description digitized from the Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaii
  • Native to neotropics, widely naturalized in Hawaii
  • prior to 1871

Bibliography

Name Published In: Methodus: 272 (1794)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Locality Habitat Basis of Record Description Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Chamaecrista nictitans Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve, Makena-Keoneoio road Pockets of vegetation in a'a lava and at roadside. Preserved_Specimen Small plants about 50 cm tall; flrs yellow; lvs closing almost immediately. Abbott, I.A. 91.64 Maui BISH 1991-03-06
2 Chamaecrista nictitans Area within 300 m west of LZ-1. UTM coordinates 752400-2275900 Preserved_Specimen Warren, S. 11 Kahoolawe BISH 1987-04-09
3 Chamaecrista nictitans Pupukea Preserved_Specimen Suehiro, A. Oahu BISH 1932-03-06
4 Chamaecrista nictitans Honolulu County, US-HI, US OBSERVATION Curtis Daehler Hawaii HAPI 3/19/2007
5 Chamaecrista nictitans 7 mi SW of State Route 11 on Mamaki Road to Kulani Prison. Waiakea Forest Reserve. OBSERVATION Curtis Daehler Hawaii HAPI 3/25/2007
6 Chamaecrista nictitans Honolulu Distr., Wiliwilinui Trail, alongside open dirt track soon after leaving paved road portion of hike. Disturbed habitat with Casuarina equisetifolia and Acacia confusa overstory along with Psidium cattleianum and Schinus terebinthifolia. Preserved_Specimen Kennedy, B. 148 Oahu BISH 2024-04-28
7 Chamaecrista nictitans SE coast, Wahaula old lava flow, near road, among herbs and low shrubs Preserved_Specimen Herb with spreading to erect stems and leaflets which fold soon after collecting. General appearence like Mimosa. Petals yellow. Sykes, W.R. 30391 Hawaii BISH 1991-06-02
8 Chamaecrista nictitans Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve, Makena-Keoneoio road Pockets of vegetation in a'a lava and at roadside. Preserved_Specimen Small plants about 50 cm tall; flrs yellow; lvs closing almost immediately. Abbott, I.A. 91.64 Maui BISH 1991-03-06
9 Chamaecrista nictitans Area within 300 m west of LZ-1. UTM coordinates 752400-2275900 Preserved_Specimen Warren, S. 11 Kahoolawe BISH 1987-04-09
10 Chamaecrista nictitans Pupukea Preserved_Specimen Suehiro, A. Oahu BISH 1932-03-06
11 Chamaecrista nictitans Honolulu County, US-HI, US OBSERVATION Curtis Daehler Hawaii HAPI 3/19/2007
12 Chamaecrista nictitans 7 mi SW of State Route 11 on Mamaki Road to Kulani Prison. Waiakea Forest Reserve. OBSERVATION Curtis Daehler Hawaii HAPI 3/25/2007
13 Chamaecrista nictitans Honolulu Distr., Wiliwilinui Trail, alongside open dirt track soon after leaving paved road portion of hike. Disturbed habitat with Casuarina equisetifolia and Acacia confusa overstory along with Psidium cattleianum and Schinus terebinthifolia. Preserved_Specimen Kennedy, B. 148 Oahu BISH 2024-04-28
14 Chamaecrista nictitans SE coast, Wahaula old lava flow, near road, among herbs and low shrubs Preserved_Specimen Herb with spreading to erect stems and leaflets which fold soon after collecting. General appearence like Mimosa. Petals yellow. Sykes, W.R. 30391 Hawaii BISH 1991-06-02
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