Rhynchosia minima - Least snoutbean

 Least snoutbean (Rhynchosia minima) is one of nine native snoutbeans that occur in Florida and one of the most widely distributed.  It is vouchered from nearly every county and its range also includes the southern tier of counties from southern Georgia west to Texas, New Mexico and Arizona.  Throughout its range, it occurs in a wide variety of habitats and is exceptionally adaptable to growing conditions. Snoutbeans are legumes so they can play a major role in improving soil fertility.  Least snoutbean is no exception.

As its common name suggests, this is a diminutive member of the genus.  It is a perennial that dies back to the ground in winter and reemerges again in spring.  Like other members of the genus, it produces multiple stems that extend many feet in all directions.  The compound leaves are composed of three leaflets, each broadly ovate ending in a distinct tip.  They are arranged alternate along the stem.

Flowering occurs throughout much of the late spring into fall.  Each inflorescence is a raceme that may consist of up to 15 small yellow flowers.  Each bloom is only about 1/4-inch in length and typical in shape for most legumes - a noticeable upper keel and a fused lower lip. The flowers are pollinated mostly by small bees and the pollinated flowers produce small beans.  The seeds inside are eaten mostly by ground-nesting birds.  Snoutbeans are used as hosts by several skipper butterflies.

Like all members of this genus, least snoutbean improves soil fertility, provides leafy food for herbivores, and seeds for various birds.  Its small flowers and sprawling nature, however, do not make it a good candidate for a typical mixed wildflower garden.  It would be a great addition, however, to a pasture or expansive meadow planting.  Least snoutbean is not offered commercially in Florida by any of the native plant nurseries affiliated with FANN - the Florida Association of Native Nurseries, but seed is available from out-of-state sources.  The plants photographed above were grown from such and have been added to the wildflower meadow I've been planting at the USF Botanical Gardens in Tampa.