Peas in August

There are about 17,000 species in about 640 genera in the Pea Family. Lots of them are kind of weedy - White clover, Alsike clover (T. hybridum), Yellow and White Sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis and M. alba), Bird's-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus). But these are all more or less ordinary examples of the family, and is probably another reason why they tend to be overlooked. But it's just not possible to ignore something like Goat's Rue (Tephrosia virginiana), or Spurred Butterfly Pea (Centrosema virginianum). They just won't have any of it.

Goat's Rue is a plant of the eastern and central U.S., found in dry habitats, and is no stranger to prairies and savannas. A silvery plant that grows to two feet in height, it is hard to overlook because of its flowers; large, Bozo the Clown-ish sorts of blossoms, with a pale yellow banner and very pink wings which protrude from the flower like a clown's nose. The kind of nose you grab and squeeze and it honks like a drunken goose. It all comes off as very festive, these bi-colored flowers.

One of its common names. Devil's Shoestrings, refers to its long, stringy roots. Those same roots were once fed to goats to increase their milk production. Well, these must have been the same farmers who rubbed cow's udders with buttercups because it was discovered the roots contain rotenone, which is used as an insecticide and was used by Native Americans to stun and catch fish.

"Uh ... goats is dead, pa."

"Yeah, Lounis?"

"Yeah. An' 'ere milk ain't so appetizin' neither."

Anyway, Goat's Rue, it's a real vaudeville act among the wildflowers.

Spurred Butterfly Pea is another kind of in-your-face legume, but not for its happy clown colors. It gets your attention with its large - about an inch and half long - lavender purple flowers, and then holds your attention like a familiar actor in an independent film. It nags at you. Who is that guy? Where have I seen him? What's wrong with those big, purple pea flowers?

There's nothing wrong with the big, clumsy flowers. They're just upside down. The banner is at the bottom, the wings above, the keel pointing upwards. It is somewhat disconcerting, and definitely gets your attention.

It's a perennial vine, prefers sandy and acid soils, and can be found from New Jersey south to Florida, and west to Texas and Arkansas.

Groundnut (Apios americana) is another member of the Pea Family that catches your eye. It's flowers aren't particularly large, or grow upside down, but are small, and grow in dense clusters. These small pink to maroon flowers in their tight little clusters suggest uptight nervous hand-wringing .

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