Coursetia axillaris
Family: Fabaceae
Plant Description: Densely branched, narrow spineless shrub to about 1 m high, forming colonies. Leaves pinnate (3-5 pairs of leaflets), the leaflets 5-15 mm long (alternate compound) numbering up to 10. Leaves obovate or spatulate up to 5 mm. Flowers bunched at nodes or on short spurs; strongly bilateral, pea shaped. Upper petal 13-18 mm wide, white to pale pink.
Plant Trivia: Flowers appear in late winter or early Spring prior to leaf buds. Drought tolerant. Adapts to most well drained soils. Can be propagated by seeds or stem cuttings.
Field Identification: Stemmy, dark stems; usually blooms in Spring prior to leafing out. Flower a typical pea shape. HS AN IRREGULAR, BUSHY FORM .
Occurrence: Welder Refuge and south of Woodsboro, scattered west to Lake CC SP and Flour Bluff (planted in Nature Garden), Rio Grande Valley. Fairly rare in the wild.
Bloom Period: February to May
Plant Use: Cultivated for its beauty; host plant to the Southern dogface butterfly. Used for xeriscape, butterfly gardens and as a border plant in S. Texas landscapes.
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