Rhynchosia reniformis
| Rhynchosia reniformis | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Faboideae |
| Genus: | Rhynchosia |
| Species: | R. reniformis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Rhynchosia reniformis | |
Rhynchosia reniformis, commonly known as dollarweed or dollarweed snoutbean, is an herbaceous perennial vine endemic to the southeastern United States.
Description
Rhynchosia reniformis grows erect, trails, or climbs, reaching 5–25 cm in height. The stems are strongly angled and densely covered with short hairs. Leaves are mostly made up of a single leaflet, though the lowest may have three. Leaflets are round to kidney-shaped, thick, and often wider than long, with visible veins, soft hairs, and scattered tiny amber-colored glands. Stipules at the base of the leaves are narrow and persistent. Flowers are small, yellow, and pea-like, arranged in clusters in the leaf axils or sometimes at the ends of branches. Each flower sits on 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 or slightly shorter than the calyx. The fruit is a flat, oblong pod, 1–1.8 cm long, covered in short hairs and containing one or two seeds.[1]
The root system has stem tubers which store non-structural carbohydrates, helping the plant resprout following fire and persist during periods of fire exclusion.[2]
Distribution and habitat
Rhynchosia reniformis is distributed from southeastern North Carolina south to South Florida and west to East Texas. It grows in longleaf pine sandhills and pine rocklands.[3] It has been shown to regrow in longleaf pine communities that were disturbed by agriculture in South Carolina, potentially making it an indicator species for post-agricultural woodlands.[4] However, it has shown resistance to regrowth in reestablished pine forests that were previously disturbed by military training.[5]
Ecology
It flowers from June through September and fruits from August to October.[3] The seeds are a food source for small mammals, songbirds, and northern bobwhite, and white-tail deer forage on the plant.[6][7][8]
References
- ^ Core, Earl L. (1970-11-15). "Carolina Flora Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas A. E. Radford H. E. Ahles C. R. Bell". BioScience. 20 (22): 1217–1217. doi:10.2307/1295633. ISSN 0006-3568.
- ^ Diaz‐Toribio, Milton H.; Putz, Francis E. (2021). "Underground carbohydrate stores and storage organs in fire‐maintained longleaf pine savannas in Florida, USA". American Journal of Botany. 108 (3): 432–442. doi:10.1002/ajb2.1620. ISSN 0002-9122.
- ^ a b "Rhynchosia reniformis (Dollarweed) - FSUS". fsus.ncbg.unc.edu. Retrieved 2025-09-26.
- ^ Brudvig, Lars A.; Grman, Emily; Habeck, Christopher W.; Orrock, John L.; Ledvina, Joseph A. (2013). "Strong legacy of agricultural land use on soils and understory plant communities in longleaf pine woodlands". Forest Ecology and Management. 310: 944–955. doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2013.09.053. ISSN 0378-1127.
- ^ Dale, Virginia H; Beyeler, Suzanne C; Jackson, Barbara (2002). "Understory vegetation indicators of anthropogenic disturbance in longleaf pine forests at Fort Benning, Georgia, USA". Ecological Indicators. 1 (3): 155–170. doi:10.1016/s1470-160x(01)00014-0. ISSN 1470-160X.
- ^ Miller, James H.; Miller, Karl V. (2005-05-30). Forest Plants of the Southeast and their Wildlife Uses. Athens, GA: The University of Georgia Press. ISBN 9780820327488.
- ^ "USDA Plants Database". plants.usda.gov. Retrieved 2025-09-26.
- ^ White, Peter (2012). "A Field Guide to Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region: North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia Bruce A. Sorrie .A Field Guide to Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region: North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia2011. 392 pp. illus. ISBN: ISBN 978-0-8078-7186-7. $25.00 (paper). Chapel Hill, NC. University of North Carolina Press". Rhodora. 114 (958): 218–220. doi:10.3119/0035-4902-114.958.218. ISSN 0035-4902.