About Rhynchosia reniformis DC.
Rhynchosia reniformis DC. can grow erect, trail, or climb, and reaches 5–25 cm in height. Its stems are strongly angled and densely covered with short hairs. Most leaves consist of a single leaflet, though the lowest leaves may have three leaflets. Leaflets are round to kidney-shaped and thick, and are often wider than they are long. They have visible veins, soft hairs, and scattered tiny amber-colored glands. The stipules located at the base of each leaf are narrow and persistent. The small yellow pea-like flowers are arranged in clusters in leaf axils, or sometimes at the ends of branches. Each flower grows from a short stalk, and is subtended by a narrow bract that falls off early. The calyx is hairy with five pointed lobes, and the petals are usually about the same length as the calyx or slightly shorter. The fruit is a flat, oblong pod 1–1.8 cm long, covered in short hairs, and holds one or two seeds. The root system produces stem tubers that store non-structural carbohydrates, which help the plant resprout after fire and persist during periods of fire exclusion. Rhynchosia reniformis ranges from southeastern North Carolina south to South Florida and west to East Texas. It grows in longleaf pine sandhills and pine rocklands. It has been observed regrowing in longleaf pine communities disturbed by agriculture in South Carolina, which means it may act as an indicator species for post-agricultural woodlands. It has shown resistance to regrowth, however, in reestablished pine forests that were previously disturbed by military training. Ecologically, this species flowers from June through September and produces fruit from August to October. Its seeds are a food source for small mammals, songbirds, and northern bobwhite, and white-tail deer forage on the plant itself.
