Question: This really looks like Partridge Pea to me, but I'm having trouble in getting it to species. First, the leaves …
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Question
This really looks like Partridge Pea to me, but I'm having trouble in getting it to species. First, the leaves are not folding when I touch them. The number of stamens and length of flower stalks seem to fit C. fasciculata, which is shown not present in Essex County. A nectary is visible at the base of the leaf petiole as in C. nicitans, which is present in the county. The flowers are along the edges of a "prairie" project at Camp Kent nature center, Amesbury, MA. The ruler is in cm.
Answer
chaffeemonell, good afternoon. The length of the corolla suggests this is Chamaecrista fasciculata (partridge sensitive-pea). The longest petals are clearly at least 15 mm, and Chamaecrista nictitans maxes out around 8 mm. Nice find.
