Rhynchosia tomentosa

The erect snoutbeam is a perennial member of the legume family (Fabaceae). It is native to the southeast United States and is commonly found in dry open woodlands and sandhills. In North Carolina, it is primarily found in the sandhills and Piedmont areas. The common name comes from the small downward pointing beak or “snout” on the end of the seed pod.

This wildflower will grow up to 30 inches tall with few to no branching and relatively few leaves. The erect habit and trifoliate leaves help to identify it from the other two snoutbeans in the area. This plant prefers full sun to partial shade and sandy well-drained soil. It is quite drought-tolerant. and poor soils tolerant but will not tolerate too much shade or wet soils. As with other plants in the legume family, erect snoutbean fixes nitrogen in the soil so no fertilization is needed.

The yellow butterfly-shaped flowers appear in May and continue through August. They are followed by the legume. The leaves have deep veins and hairs giving them a crinkly appearance and a velvety feel. 

 Use this plant in a native pollinator garden, in pots, mass-planted or in borders. They will bloom even during the hottest and driest summers and attract pollinators to your garden.

This plant was selected as the 2024 NC Wildflower of the Year, a program managed by the North Carolina Botanical Garden with some financial support from the Garden Club of North Carolina.

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems.