Vigna lutea
Photo by Shirley Denton. Photograph belongs to the photographer who allows use for FNPS purposes only. Please contact the photographer for all other uses.
Natural Range in Florida
USDA Zones
Suitable to grow in:
10A 10B 11 8B 9A 9B
2002-2022, Copyright Florida Native Plant Society
Hairypod Cowpea
Fabaceae
Plant Specifics
| Size: | Scrambling vine. Stems 6-10 ft or longer and can make mounds up to about 6 ft tall. | |
| Life Span: | Annual to short-lived perennial | |
| Flower Color: | Yellow | |
| Fruit Color: | Brown legume | |
| Phenology: | Annual to perennial. Can bloom year round. More likely to fruit in fall. | |
| Habitats: | Coastal areas, flatwoods, disturbed areas. |
Landscaping
| Recommended Uses: | Naturalistic areas especially near the coast. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Light: | Full Sun | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Moisture Tolerance: |
always floodedextremely dry |
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| Moisture Tolerance: | Somewhat moist, no flooding ----- to ----- Somewhat long very dry periods | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Salt Water Flooding Tolerance: | Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Salt Spray Tolerance: | Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Soil/Substrate: | Humus (organic, upland), Lime rock, Sand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wildlife
Likely used as forage by species such as deer.
Good cover.
Larval host for cassius blue (Leptotes cassius), dorantes longtail (Urbanus dorantes), gray hairstreak (Strymon melinus), and long-tailed skipper (Urbanus proteus) butterflies.
Nectar source for gray hairstreak.
Attracts bees which are documented pollinators of the genus.