Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Fabids: Fabales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Phaseolus polystachios
FAMILY
Fabaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Learn more about Wild Bean from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Phaseolus polystachios var. polystachios
FAMILY
Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Phaseolus polystachyus ssp. polystachyus
SYNONYMOUS WITH Native & naturalized Leguminosae (Fabaceae) of the US (Isely, 1998)
Phaseolus polystachios
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 098-44-002:
Phaseolus polystachios FAMILY Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH (ORTHOGRAPHIC VARIANT) Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Phaseolus polystachyus
COMMON NAME:
Wild Bean, Wild Kidney Bean, Thicket Bean
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
JK Marlow jkm180814_3783
August McCormick County SC
Parks Mill
Leaflets ovate to rhombic-ovate, conspicuously reticulate; stipels linear, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
COMPARE
compound leaves of vines
)
JK Marlow jkm121027_791
October Pickens County SC
Glassy Mountain Heritage Preserve
Legume stipitate, 3-8cm long, 8-10mm broad, somewhat curved, glabrous, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_p_polystachios
October
Flowers 3/8" long, with the keel petals spirally coiled, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Phaseolus polystachios
FAMILY
Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Phaseolus polystachios var. polystachios
FAMILY
Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Phaseolus polystachyus ssp. polystachyus
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Native & naturalized Leguminosae (Fabaceae) of the US (Isely, 1998)
Phaseolus polystachios
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 098-44-002:
Phaseolus polystachios
FAMILY
Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH (ORTHOGRAPHIC VARIANT)
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Phaseolus polystachyus
2672
Herbaceous vine
Perennial
Habitat: Thickets, woodlands, seemingly declining, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Uncommon
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Odd-pinnately compound: 3 leaflets (rarely 1)
Mostly alternate
Margins entire
Leaves are subtended by persistent stipules.
Leaflets are subtended by stipels.
FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
Purplish
Bilaterally symmetrical
2-lipped 5-lobed campanulate calyx
5-parted papilionaceous corolla
10 stamens, diadelphous, 9 and 1
Superior ovary
Flowers in loose, slender racemes
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Legume
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p341
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p202
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p078
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".