Pink fuzzybean facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pink fuzzybean |
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| The pink fuzzybean plant | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Strophostyles
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| Species: |
umbellata
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The pink fuzzybean or perennial wild bean (scientific name: Strophostyles umbellata) is a cool flowering plant. It's part of the Fabaceae family, which is also known as the pea or bean family. This plant grows year after year, so it's called a perennial. You can find it growing naturally in fields and woods across the southeastern and central United States. It usually shows off its pretty flowers from June to September.
Contents
What Makes the Pink Fuzzybean Special?
The pink fuzzybean has some unique features that help tell it apart from its relatives.
Flower Details
One special part of its flower is the keel petal. This petal is thick and stays fairly straight. It also stays close to the banner petal, which is another part of the flower. This is different from some other similar plants.
Plant Structure
At the very bottom of the plant, near the ground, the pink fuzzybean has a special part called a caudex. This caudex is perennial, meaning it lives for many years, and it has branches. This is a unique feature for this plant.
Leaf Shapes
The leaves of the pink fuzzybean can look very different from one plant to another. Some leaves might be deeply lobed, like those of the Strophostyles helvola plant. Other leaves might be thin, covered in fine hairs, and shaped like a spear, similar to the leaves of S. leiosperma.
How the Pink Fuzzybean Reproduces
The pink fuzzybean spreads its seeds to make new plants.
Seed Production
You might notice that individual pink fuzzybean plants are often spread out from each other. This can make it harder for them to produce many seed pods. Sometimes, plants also have a feature called "self-incompatibility." This means a plant cannot fertilize itself, and it needs pollen from another plant to make seeds. These factors can lead to fewer seed pods being formed.
Seed Dispersal
Just like its relative S. helvola, the seeds of the pink fuzzybean have a special waxy coating. This coating helps the seeds float on water. This means water can carry the seeds to new places, helping the plant spread and grow in different areas.
