Anyone know what this plant is?

12 years ago

It's the bigger one way in the back that barely got into the picture. At first I thought it was a cassia because I had winter sowed some Cassia hebecarpa seeds in milk jugs this past winter, but I had no idea how a plant would have gotten here in this spot. Comparing my cassias, though, to this plant, I see that the leaves just aren't quite the same shape. It does look like a plant from the pea family though, doesn't it? I don't actually know if it's a "regular" plant or a tree of some sort. Does anyone have an idea what it might be?

Comments (5)

MissSherry
12 years ago
It reminds me of bristly locust/Robinia hispida, a very pretty plant, Cathy. Since silver-spotted skippers use black locust/R. pseudoacacia, they may use bristly locust, too. R. pseudoacacia flowers are a very popular source of nectar, especially for pipevine swallowtails.
Sherry

Here is a link that might be useful: Robinia hispida
caterwallin
Original Author
12 years ago
Sherry, I agree with you that the plant in the picture you linked to is a very pretty plant. It's a tree then, right? I was going to dig it out of where it's at anyway because it's in a bad spot. I'm still debating whether I want to keep it or not because I just now noticed that it has thorns on it. Thorns and I don't do so well together. Ha. I wasn't even thinking of locust trees, couldn't get my mind off of cassias and other garden-type plants. I think honey locust and black locust grow around here, but I'm not familiar with them as far as being able to recognize them, especially when they're just small. There's a woods beside us, so maybe it came from a tree in there somewhere. I just know that I don't have a single thing here in our yard that has thorns on it. I might just either take this out and toss it or maybe I can find someone who would want it. I already have Amorpha fruticosa for the Silver-spotted Skippers. They're my favorite skipper, probably because they're one of the few that I can identify. :-D
Cathy
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MissSherry
12 years ago
I know what you mean about skippers, Cathy - I'm skipper-ID-challenged, too! :)
The link says it gets to 3m, which I assume is 3 meters, which would be about 6'-7' but the only one I've ever seen growing here only got about 3' tall. It's strictly a bush, not a tree.
If you don't want it in your garden, you could transplant it to the edge of the woods - that's where I found the one growing I was referring to.
Sherry
docmom_gw
12 years ago
Is it a Baptisia Australis? I may have spelled it wrong.

Martha
caterwallin
Original Author
12 years ago
Sherry, I'm glad I'm not the only one who is "skipper-ID-challenged". :)
Hmmm, 3 meters isn't very tall. I agree with you, it sounds more like a bush than a tree if it is a bristly locust. I wonder if they have thorns. I don't like things with thorns, but I hate to destroy it because just by looking at it, I thought it would host something, and I hate to get rid of anything that could provide food for butterflies/cats.

Martha, I think that's a good guess, but I have Baptisia australis and it's not that. B. australis doesn't have thorns. Right now my plants have the prettiest black pods on them, and the blue flowers were beautiful this year. They don't bloom until their third year, which was this year.

Cathy