Chamaecrista nictitans
Chamaecrista nictitans
Safety & Hazards
None known
Cultivation Details
With its large area of distribution this species is amenable to a wide range of climatic conditions. In the south of its range (in Paraguay) it is found in areas with a mean annual rainfall in the range of 1,300 - 1,600,, and an average annual temperature of 22 - 23°c[1]. Native to a wide range of soil types, though it is most prevalent on free-draining sands of an acid to neutral reaction[1]. The plant often grows in dry, often sandy soil in open areas[2]. The plant is considered to be a weed in its native Brazil[3]. It has escaped from cultivation in many areas and has been declared 'Invasive' in many Pacific Islands[4]. Seedlings grow rapidly and early-flowering types can flower within 6 weeks[1]. The leaves are sometimes sensitive to touch, folding when disturbed[1].
Propagation
Seed - it has a hard seedcoat and may benefit from scarification before sowing in order to speed up and improve germination. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing. Sow the seed in situ - scarified seed germinates quickly after rainfall but hard seed will require weathering to break the integrity of the seed coat to enable germination[1]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Chamaecrista+nictitans>
Pollinators
Bees
References
- [1]Tropical Forages — http://www.tropicalforages.info/key/Forages/Media/Html/index.htm ↩︎Mainly focussed on forage plants, the site gives a lot of information on the plant, with a good botanical description, details of cultivation, plant uses and a good selection of photographs.
- [2]Flowers of India — http://www.flowersofindia.net/ ↩︎A wed site of native Indian plants, plus cultivated and naturalized species. It has good quality photos and terse details on more than 3,000 species and cultivars.
- [3]Plant Resources of Southeast Asia — http://proseanet.org/ ↩︎Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
- [4]Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk — http://www.hear.org/pier/scientificnames/index.html ↩︎A very good website detailing weed species that have been introduced into the Pacific Islands.
- [5]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.