BREC's Wildflower Park Guide

Apios americana, sometimes called the potato bean, hopniss, Indian potato or groundnut (but not to be confused with other plants sometimes known by the name groundnut) is a perennial vine native to eastern North America, and bears edible beans and large edible tubers. It grows to 3–4 m long, with pinnate leaves 8–15 cm long with 5–7 leaflets. The flowers are red-brown to purple, produced in dense racemes. The fruit is a legume (pod) 6–12 cm... less ↑

Centrosema virginianum has different common names such as Virginian Centro, wild blue vine, blue bell, and wild pea.C. virginianum is a member of the Fabaceae family, it is identify by its trailing and twining vine. The stems are tender and small in proportion to its height. C. virginianum habitats are in pine lands and coastal uplands. less ↑

Mimosa strigillosa, also known as Sunshine Mimosa and Powderpuff, is a perennial ground cover in the Fabaceae family that is native to nearly all US states bordering the Gulf of Mexico and grows north into Georgia and Arkansas as well. The name Powderpuff refers to the small spherical flowers that rise above the plant's creeping vines. Like related species in the Mimosa genus Sunshine Mimosa has sensitive leaves that can fold in a matter of seconds... less ↑

Vachellia farnesiana, also known as Acacia farnesiana, and previously Mimosa farnesiana, commonly known as needle bush, is so named because of the numerous thorns distributed along its branches. The native range of V. farnesiana is uncertain. While the point of origin is Mexico and Central America, the species has a pantropical distribution incorporating northern Australia and southern Asia. It remains unclear whether the extra-American distribution is primarily natural or anthropogenic. It is deciduous over part of... less ↑

Wisteria floribunda (common name Japanese wisteria) is a species of flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae, native to Japan. Growing to 9 m (30 ft), it is a woody, deciduous twining climber. It was brought from Japan to the United States in 1830's. Since then, it has become one of the most highly romanticized flowering garden plants. It is also a common subject for bonsai, along with Wisteria sinensis (Chinese wisteria). less ↑

Wisteria frutescens (American Wisteria) is a woody, deciduous, perennial climbing vine of the Fabaceae family. It is native to the wet forests and stream banks of the southeastern United States, with a range stretching from the states of Virginia to Texas (Northeast Texas Piney Woods) and extending southeast through Florida, also north to Iowa, Michigan, and New York. less ↑

Trifolium arvense is a species of clover. It may also be known as haresfoot clover, rabbitfoot clover, stone clover, hare's-foot clover or oldfield clover. This species of clover is native to most of Europe, excluding the Arctic zone, and western Asia, in plain or mid-mountain habitats up to 1,600 metres (5,200 ft) altitude. It grows in dry sandy soils, both acidic and alkaline, typically found at the edge of fields, in wastelands, at the side of roads,... less ↑

Trifolium hybridum, alsike clover, is a plant species of the genus Trifolium in the pea family Fabaceae. The stalked, pale pink or whitish flower head grows from the leaf axils, and the trifoliate leaves are unmarked. The plant is 1–2 feet (30–60 cm) tall, and is found in fields and on roadsides – it is also grown as fodder (hay or silage). The plant blooms from spring to autumn (April to October in the northern hemisphere). Originating... less ↑

Trifolium resupinatum (Persian clover, shaftal, syn. T. resupinatum L. var. majus Boss., T. suaveolens Willd.) is an annual clover used as fodder and hay, which reaches 60 cm (24 in) tall when cultivated, and forms rosettes when grazed or mowed. It is native to central and southern Europe, the Mediterranean, and southwest Asia as far south as the Punjab. It is an important hay crop in cold regions of Iran, Afghanistan and other Asian areas with cold winters. less ↑

Vicia benghalensis is a species of vetch known by the common names purple vetch and reddish tufted vetch. It is native to southern Europe, North Africa, and nearby islands, and it is utilized elsewhere in agriculture and may be present in the wild as an introduced species. It is an annual herb with a climbing stem which is coated in hairs, often densely, making the plant appear silvery white. Each leaf is made up of several... less ↑

Robinia pseudoacacia, commonly known as the black locust, is a tree of the genus Robinia in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae. It is native to the southeastern United States, but has been widely planted and naturalized elsewhere in temperate North America, Europe, Southern Africa and Asia and is considered an invasive species in some areas. A less frequently used common name is false Acacia, which is a literal translation of the specific epithet. less ↑

Amorpha fruticosa is a species of flowering plant in the legume family (Fabaceae) known by several common names, including desert false indigo, false indigo-bush, and bastard indigobush. It is found wild in most of the contiguous United States, southeastern Canada, and northern Mexico, but it is probably naturalized in the northeastern and northwestern portion of its current range. The species is also present as an introduced species in Europe, Asia, and other continents. It is often... less ↑

Kudzu (/ˈkʊdzuː/, also called Japanese arrowroot,) is a group of plants in the genus Pueraria, in the pea family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. They are climbing, coiling, and trailing vines native to much of eastern Asia, southeast Asia, and some Pacific Islands. The name comes from the Japanese name for the plants, kuzu (クズ or 葛?), which was written "kudzu" in historical romanizations. Where these plants are naturalized, they can be invasive, and are considered noxious weeds.... less ↑

Tephrosia virginiana, also known as Goat-rue or Goat's Rue, is a perennial dicot in familia Fabaceae. This subshrub has alternate compound leaves. Its leaves are imparipinnate, with relatively wide pinnae. All parts of the plant are pubescent giving it a silvery, hoary appearance. The terminal, compact racemes of cream and deep pink flowers bloom May to August. This plant prefers acidic soils, in part to full sun. It grows throughout the Midwest, New England and southeastern... less ↑

Erythrina herbacea, commonly known as the Coral Bean, Cherokee Bean, Red Cardinal or Cardinal Spear, is a flowering shrub or small tree found throughout the southeastern United States and northeastern Mexico; it has also been reported from parts of Central America and, as an introduced species, from Pakistan. Various other systematic names have been used for this plant in the past, including Erythrina arborea, Erythrina hederifolia, Erythrina humilis, Erythrina rubicunda, Corallodendron herbaceum and Xyphanthus hederifolius. less ↑

Indigofera suffruticosa, commonly known as Añil, Guatemalan indigo, Small-leaved indigo (Sierra Leone), West Indian indigo, and Wild indigo, is a flowering plant in the pea family, Fabaceae. In Hawaiian it is known as either ʻInikō/Inikoa, or Kolū; in Fijian it is called Vaivai, the Samoans call it Laʻau mageso, on Guam it is called Aniles, and in Tonga it is referred to as ʻakauveli (itchy plant). less ↑