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Glycine tabacina

glycine pea

Fabaceae Eastern and northern Australia

Attracts Pollinators Drought Tolerant

SunFull Sun – Part Shade

WaterLow · drought-tolerant

HardinessZones 9–11

Overview

Glycine tabacina is a slender perennial legume with wiry, trailing and twining stems that scramble over the ground and low plants from a deep rootstock. The leaves are divided into three leaflets, each oval to lance-shaped, 0.4-1.2 inches (1-3 cm) long, green and sometimes finely hairy. Small pea flowers, 0.2-0.4 inch (5-10 mm) long, pink to mauve or purple, are carried a few together on slender stalks through spring and summer. Flowers are followed by narrow, flattened pods 0.8-1.6 inches (2-4 cm) long that split to release several seeds. The stems die back in dry or cold conditions and the plant reshoots from the deep rootstock after rain. It grows in grassland, grassy woodland, and disturbed ground on a range of soils and fixes nitrogen through root nodules. The wiry stems stay inconspicuous among grasses except when in flower.

Native Range

Native to eastern and northern Australia, with a wide range across Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria, and extending into Asia and the Pacific. Grows in grassland, grassy woodland, and disturbed ground on clay, loam, and sandy soils.

Suggested Uses

Grown in native grassland plantings and for soil nitrogen on low-fertility ground, sown or spaced to scramble across open soil. Used as a light groundcover among grasses where the twining stems weave through other plants. Spreads by seed and the deep rootstock into surrounding ground.

How to Identify

Recognized by wiry trailing and twining stems, leaves of three oval to lance-shaped leaflets 0.4-1.2 inches (1-3 cm) long, and small pink to purple pea flowers 0.2-0.4 inch (5-10 mm) long on slender stalks. Narrow flattened pods 0.8-1.6 inches (2-4 cm) long follow. The slender twining habit and three-leaflet leaves separate it from the trailing bean Macroptilium atropurpureum.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height2" - 8"

Width/Spread1' - 3'

Colors

Flower Colors

Foliage Colors

Fall Foliage Colors

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~18 weeks

Spring Summer

Flowers from spring through summer, roughly October to March in its native range. Flowering follows warm-season rain and continues through the warm months. Each flower is short-lived, with new ones opening over many weeks.

Detailed Descriptions

Flower Description

Pink to purple

Foliage Description

Green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun SunPartial Shade

Requires 5-9 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range5.5 - 7.5(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

clay loam sand

Drainageaverage

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Low

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Time to Maturity

Flowers in its first or second season from seed

Drought Tolerance

Drought tolerant when established

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Grows in full sun to part shade on clay, loam, or sandy soil across a pH range of about 5.5-7.5. Tolerates seasonal dryness once established by dying back to the deep rootstock and reshooting after rain. Needs little water beyond rainfall in its native climate. Fixes nitrogen through root nodules and grows in low-fertility soils. Stems scramble over low plants and can twine through neighbouring growth. Frost browns the topgrowth in colder areas, with regrowth in spring.

Pruning

Cut back trailing stems at the end of the growing season to limit spread and clear frost-damaged growth. Trim stems that twine into neighbouring plants. The plant reshoots from the deep rootstock after rain.