Strophostyles helvula
Family: Fabaceae
Plant Description: Annual vine with twining or trailing stems to 1.6 m or longer. Leaves 3-foliate. Flowers few per axillary peduncle, the upper petal 8-15 mm long, creamy aging to light purple.
Field Identification:One must me looking for this vine. It has only a few flowers at a time and the plant is easilly lost in the vegitation on which it grows.
Plant Trivia:
Occurrence: Frequent on coastal sands from AMWR to Flour Bluff and the barrier islands.
Bloom Period: April-November
Plant Use: All plants of the family Fabaceae nitrate the soil utilizing a symbiotic relationship between the roothairs of the bean and certain bacteria in the soil.
Key to the Genus Strophostyles:
- Leaflets broad, 15-35 mm wide………………….S. helvula
Leaflets narrow, 3-12 mm wide………...S. leioslperma
