Hairy Sensitive Pea

Chamaecrista pilosa (L.) Greene, Pittonia 4: 28. 1899
Cassia pilosa h. Syst. ed. 10, 1017. 17.59.
Cassia Milleri Collad. Hist. Cass. 132. 1816.
Disterepta pilosa Raf. Sylva Tell. 126. 1838.
Chamaecrista macropoda Standley, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 17: 431. 1914.
Suffrutescent, the pilose branches straggling, ascending, or spreading, sometimes about 1 m. long, usually shorter. Stipules ovate-lanceolate, long-acuminate, strongly several-nerved, membranous, 6-13 mm. long, subcordate, ciliate; pet iolar gland small, short-stalked or wanting; leaflets 2-5 pairs, oblong, or oblong-obovate, membranous, 0.5-2.5 cm. long, 3-7 mm. wide, obtuse, cuspidate or mucronate, glabrous or sparingly pubescent, ciliolate, rather strongly pinnately veined, the costa excentric; pedicels filiform, 2-4 cm. long, mostly longer than the leaves; bractlets narrowly lanceolate; sepals lanceolate, sparingly pubescent, 4-5 mm. long; petals 5-7 mm. long; legume linear, pubescent or glabrate, very short-tipped, 2-4 cm. long, 3-4 mm. wide.
Type locality: Jamaica.
Distribution: Jamaica; Cuba; Guatemala to El Salvador. Colombia; Venezuela.

Annual, Herbs, Taproot present, Nodules present, Stems erect or ascending, Stems prostrate, trailing, or mat forming, Stems less than 1 m tall, Stems solid, Stems or young twigs sparsely to densely hairy, Stems hairs pilose or spreading, Leaves alternate, Leaves petiolate, Extrafloral nectary glands on petiole, Stipules conspicuous, Stipules green, triangulate to lanceolate or foliaceous, Stipules persistent, Stipules free, Leaves compound, Leaves even pinnate, Leaf or leaflet margins entire, Leaflets opposite, Leaflets 10-many, Leaves glabrous or nearly so, Flowers in axillary clusters or few-floweredracemes, 2-6 flowers, Inflorescence axillary, Bracts very small, absent or caducous, Bracteoles present, Flowers actinomorphic or somewhat irregular, Calyx 5-lobed, Calyx hairy, Petals separate, Petals clawed, Petals orange or yellow, Fertile stamens 5, Stamens heteromorphic, graded in size, Stamens complete ly free, separate, Filaments glabrous, Anthers opening by basal or terminal pores or slits, Style terete, Fruit a legume, Fruit unilocular, Fruit freely dehiscent, Fruit elongate, straight, Fruit oblong or ellipsoidal, Fruit strongly curved, falcate, bent, or lunate, Fruit exserted from calyx, Fruit internally septate between the seeds, Fruit compressed between seeds, Fruit explosively or elastically dehiscent, Valves twisting or coiling after dehiscence, Fruit glabrous or glabrate, Fruit hairy, Fruit 3-10 seeded, Seeds subquadrate, Seed surface smooth, Seeds olive, brown, or black.