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Chamaecrista fasciculata

(Michx.) Greene

Sleepingplant

G5Secure Found in 21 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.155052
Element CodePDFAB47050
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderFabales
FamilyFabaceae
GenusChamaecrista
Synonyms
Cassia brachiata(Pollard) J.F. Macbr.Cassia chamaecristaL.Cassia fasciculataMichx.
Other Common Names
partridge pea (EN) Partridge-pea (EN) Prairie Senna (EN)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist and atlas with biological attributes for the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. First edition. In: Kartesz, J.T., and C.A. Meacham. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, N.C.
Taxonomic Comments
Kartesz (1999) lumps all of the subtaxa of Cassia fasciculata except var. macrosperma into Chamaecrista fasciculata var. fasciculata.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-08-29
Change Date1984-02-29
Edition Date2024-08-29
Edition AuthorsSoteropoulos (2024)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Chamaecrista fasciculata is a wide-ranging annual forb in a variety of habitats occurring throughout much of the eastern and central United States from Massachusetts west to Minnesota south to Florida and Texas into Mexico with two varieties. Threats potentially include development, rights-of-way maintenance, and invasive species. Little is known about trends, but with a large range extent and large number of occurrences, abundant habitat, broad habitat preferences, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities, this species is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Chamaecrista fasciculata occurs throughout much of the eastern and central United States from Massachusetts west to Minnesota south to Florida and Texas into Mexico (Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2024), and it is non-native in Ontario, Canada. See individual entries for distribution details about the two varieties. Range extent was estimated to be over 6 million square kilometers using herbarium specimens, and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024 (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024, it is estimated that there are thousands of occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024).
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, this species is potentially threatened by development, rights-of-way maintenance, invasive species, and other threats in some places. However, their overall impact is likely negligible given the species' broad range, large number of occurrences, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Chamaecrista fasciculata grows in "open woods, fields, roadsides, inland and coastal dunes, coastal prairies, disturbed hardwood prairies, tallgrass prairies, sandy patches in shortgrass prairies, pine savannas, usually in dry, sandy soils" (FNA 2024).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest/WoodlandForest EdgeSavannaGrassland/herbaceousOld fieldSand/dune
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
New MexicoSNRYes
South CarolinaSNRYes
Rhode IslandSNRYes
West VirginiaS4Yes
IllinoisSNRYes
IndianaS4Yes
PennsylvaniaSNRYes
New JerseySNRYes
MarylandSNRYes
NebraskaSNRYes
MinnesotaSNRYes
IowaS5Yes
TexasSNRYes
MississippiSNRYes
LouisianaSNRYes
MichiganSNRYes
ArkansasSNRYes
KansasS5Yes
District of ColumbiaSNRYes
ConnecticutSNRYes
North CarolinaS5Yes
WisconsinSNRYes
FloridaS5Yes
KentuckySNRYes
New YorkS3Yes
OklahomaSNRYes
MassachusettsSNRYes
AlabamaSNRYes
DelawareS5Yes
OhioSNRYes
South DakotaSNRYes
MissouriSNRYes
GeorgiaSNRYes
TennesseeSNRYes
VirginiaS5Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undetermined———

—

Plant Characteristics
DurationANNUAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (21)
Alabama (1)
AreaForestAcres
Oakey MountainTalladega National Forest6,129
Arkansas (1)
AreaForestAcres
East ForkOzark-St. Francis National Forest13,037
Florida (1)
AreaForestAcres
Alexander Springs CreekOcala National Forest2,954
Idaho (1)
AreaForestAcres
Bear CreekCaribou-Targhee National Forest118,582
Illinois (1)
AreaForestAcres
Burke BranchShawnee National Forest6,231
Indiana (1)
AreaForestAcres
Mogan RidgeHoosier National Forest8,435
Louisiana (1)
AreaForestAcres
Saline Bayou W & S River CorridorKisatchie National Forest5,355
North Carolina (7)
AreaForestAcres
Catfish Lake NorthCroatan National Forest11,299
Cheoah BaldNantahala National Forest7,795
Dobson KnobPisgah National Forest6,111
Overflow CreekNantahala National Forest3,379
South Mills RiverPisgah National Forest8,588
Tusquitee BaldNantahala National Forest13,670
Woods MountainPisgah National Forest9,602
Tennessee (2)
AreaForestAcres
Bald MountainCherokee National Forest11,743
Sampson Mountain AdditionCherokee National Forest3,064
Virginia (4)
AreaForestAcres
Brush MountainJefferson National Forest6,002
Northern MassanuttenGeorge Washington National Forest9,444
Oak KnobGeorge Washington National Forest10,882
SkidmoreGeorge Washington National Forest5,641
West Virginia (1)
AreaForestAcres
Dry River (WV)George Washington National Forest7,331
References (7)
  1. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2023. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 11. Magnoliophyta: Fabaceae, parts 1+2. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxvii + 1108 pp.
  2. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
  3. iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
  4. Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist and atlas with biological attributes for the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. First edition. In: Kartesz, J.T., and C.A. Meacham. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, N.C.
  5. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).
  6. Wallace, L.E. and P. Norwood. 2024. Genetic divergence of <i>Chamaecrista fasciculata</i> (Fabaceae) variants and conservation implications for the rare tidal marsh form. International Journal of Plant Sciences 185(3): 249-257.
  7. Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2024. Flora of the southeastern United States. Edition of March 4, 2024. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 2203 pp.