Sicklepod is a branched, annual herb in the Fabaceae (bean) family native to the eastern and midwestern US and tropical and subtropical regions in the Americas. It is found naturally in forests or natural areas in open woodlands, or fields though it has been introduced all over the world. The Latin name for the species obtusifolia comes from the word obtusus which means blunt and folium which means leaf. It typically grows to a height and width of 2 to 5 feet. Bright green leaves are pinnately divided with rounded leaflets that have a point at the tips. Showy yellow five-petaled flowers appear in the late summer and last into the fall. They are followed by sickle-shaped bean pods, hence the common name. It will self-seed easily in the landscape. Sicklepod grows best in full sun in moist to slightly dry well-drained soil, though it can grow in the toughest compacted clay or rocky soils. They are disease-resistant and drought tolerant. For additional information by the NC State Herbarium see " Poisonous Vascular Plants " (cntrl + F, search for Sicklepod) Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: It can be weedy in disturbed areas and agricultural sites and is considered a noxious weed in some states.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Clay; High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt); Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Available space
3 feet-6 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 5 ft. 0 in. | Width: 2 ft. 0 in. - 5 ft. 0 in.
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect; Spreading
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Obovate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Alternate, pinnately divided, without a conspicuous gland at the base of the leaf stalk; leaflets of 3 pairs and each obovate leaflet is 1.5" long and 1" wide comes to a point at the tip; stipules usually not persistent and not conspicuously striated. Leaves are lighter green underneath, hairless, and have a long petiole and an unpleasant scent.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow
Flower value
Showy
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
5 yellow to pale yellow petals, 5 green sepals, 7 stamens with beaked anthers. 5/8" flowers in pairs in the upper leaf axils bloom from late summer to fall
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit color
Brown/Copper; Green
Fruit type
Legume
Fruit size
> 3 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Brown green 4 to 6 inches long, slender (1/4" wide), 4-angled (terete) in cross section, curved into a sickle shape bean pod.
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Light green, slightly ridged
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Eastern U.S.A., Tropical & Subtropical America
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Nuts; Shoots
Fruit type
Legume
Edibility
Young shoots; only collect plants from areas you know have NOT been treated with pesticides. Gather the young shoots in July or early August. Safe food procedures: soak young shoots in warm water to remove dirt and debris. Do not use dish detergent or any type of sanitizer. These products can leave a residue. The shoots have an unpleasant odor in its raw state but this disappears after cooking. Boil in salted water for five minutes, pour off this first water and add fresh boiling and salted water. Boil for another eight minutes. Serve as a vegetable.
Uses (ethnobotany)
Roasted seeds have been used as a substitute for coffee and the roots, leaves and seeds have been used in traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine. In Africa the green leaves are fermented and used as a meat substitute. The seeds are ground and used commercially to produce the food additive cassia gum which acts as a thickener.