partridge pea

American  

noun

1. a North American plant, Cassia fasciculata, of the legume family, having yellow flowers and feathery compound leaves that fold shut when touched.

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Etymology

Origin of partridge pea

An Americanism dating back to 1780–90; probably so called because its fruit provides food for partridges

Example Sentences

They planted butterfly milkweed, prairie blazing star, stiff goldenrod, sneezeweed, black-eyed Susan and partridge pea, all without tilling the land.

From Washington Times

As construction approached, I said goodbye to what would be lost: sweeps of meadow beauty, partridge pea and blue-eyed grass.

From New York Times

The partridge pea bears from two to four showy flowers together, each measuring an inch or more across, on a slender pedicel from the axils.

From Project Gutenberg

The partridge pea, which has a more westerly range than the sensitive pea's, extends it southward even to Bolivia.

From Project Gutenberg

Bumblebees, buzzing about the blossoms, may be observed "milking" the anthers just as they do those of the partridge pea.

From Project Gutenberg