Neptunia pubescens Benth.

Tropical Puff; Tropical Neptunia

Herb

Perennial

Vascular

Tropical Puff is a native short-lived herbaceous perennial in the Bean family (Fabaceae). It is found in coastal areas. Tropical Puff occurs in salt marshes, on dunes, on shell mounds, and on roadsides. It is a short-lived perennial from a taproot. Stems are prostrate with scattered stalked glands or almost glabrous, and up to 6 feet in length. The stems are green or reddish in color, cylindrical, and with 3 ridges descending from each leaf. Leaves are alternate, petiolate, bi-pinnately compound, with 2-4 pairs of pinnae each with 15-25 pairs of leaflets. Leaflets are oblong, glabrous on the surface with ciliate along their margins. The leaflets are usually paler green towards their base, giving the pinna a yellowish-green stripe down their center. Like some species of Mimosa, the leaves of Tropical Puff will fold when touched or at night. Flowers are produced in ovoid or cylindrical heads from the axils of the leaves. Each head has 20-30 flowers, the upper flowers are perfect and fertile, those in the lower part of the inflorescence sterile with flattened staminodes. The fruit is a flattened, oblong legume. Tropical Puff is sometimes available from native plant nurseries. It can be grown as a low ground cover. Tropical Puff is a larval food plant for the Ceraunus Blue butterfly (Hemiargus ceraunus).—A. Diamond.

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Native FAC (NWPL)

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