View Wildflowers in Tennessee!

For more wildflower pictures take a look at my friends site:

http://wallacegeo.blogspot.com

George has a passion for photography and has some beautiful shots. ENJOY!

Friday, July 29, 2011

Wild Bush Bean (Macroptilium lathyroides)

I found this plant in the Apopka restoration area, also.  I thought it was unusal and with a little help from my friends on our open native florida gardening group on FB, was able to put a name to it! It is a wild bush bean!  Not native to Florida, but still very interesting!  Plus, this is one of the best pictures I have taken with my little ole'cannon point and shoot!

The pea-shaped flowers bloom in pairs and have a spirally twisted keel petal.  The seed pods are hairy, slender, and up to 4 inches long.  When mature, the pods explosively open to eject the small, pitted, brown or marbled brown and black beans.  The leaves have 3 narrowly oval to lanceolate leaflets and lanceolate stipules.  The stems are slender, green, and erect, trailing, or twining.  Wild bushbean grows along roadsides, in pastures, and in other sunny, open, disturbed area.

1 comment:

  1. Do you know if this is a plant that could be used in a Florida Friendly yard? I read that it was naturalized in Florida, but I would guess that it spreads quite easily

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