Macroptilium Species, Phasey Bean, Cow Pea, Wild Bean

This is a weed. Last year I found one in my south Florida yard. This year it is popping up randomly all over the yard.

This plant is a nice climber or groundcover for full sun areas. Maroon flowers are attractive to bees and butterflies. Very pretty and fa...Read Morest growing, drought & salt tolerant to some extent.

I have not found it to be particularly invasive. Some say the flower is shaped like a butterfly. To the imaginations of others, the flower shape resembles a snail. Seeds of this plant sometimes sold or packaged under common names 'Maroon Snail Vine' or 'Maroon Butterfly Pea', due to unusual shape of its flowers.

This can lead to confusion, especially if the purchaser expects to receive something more costly such as Vigna Caracalla, Phaseolus caracalla, or Clitoria. If purchasing seeds of a 'Snail vine' or 'Butterfly Pea,' I highly recommend you specify the Genus and species names that you do want, to your seller.

Otherwise you may end up with seeds of this plant, which is a nice little plant but might not be quite what you were hoping for!

Although this plant is viewed as a weed, to those of us in Central Florida who would otherwise have a "yard" of sugar sand, this plant is...Read More great! It fills in the areas where it seems that grass just won't, or can't, grow. If given the opportunity to vine, it has really pretty flowers that start out a redish color, then turn purple, then wilt... followed by the cute little bean pods which have beans that resemble mini back-eyed peas. The pods are fun to play with when they're dry, just pich the end and watch the bean "explosion"! I find them popping up all over at work, and even staked an area so they could vine and I could have the flowers to look at. Since it is considered a "weed" by many, you know that means they're not hard to grow! I suggest this to anyone who just wants a little something different.

If you do research about this particular plant, you will find that it gets it nickname, the "cow pea", because the seeds are sown in cow pastures to be used as feed for cattle. It's easy to maintain, requires little water, is tough (the cows can walk on it), and it is beneficial as feed... plus it self sows freely! What more could you ask for???

Just to document that Macroptilium lathyroides is a weed in central and southern Florida. It does not seem to be particularly invasive o...Read Moref natural areas, occuring mostly on weedy roadsides, old fields, and other areas of disturbed soils. It is not officially listed as an invasive exotic in Florida. Occasionally, it comes up in my gardens.