Aeschynomene fluitans

Distribution:  Tropical.

Size:   6-10 in.

Form:   Shrub with sensitive leaves. Grows free floating or rooted at the edge of a pond.

Stem/Bud:   Stems hollow, floating on water, becoming somewhat white, and hairy with age. Found floating on the water surface in slow-moving rivers, ponds and floodplains.

Leaves:   Leaves pinnately compound, with 16-26 pairs of leaflets. Leaves close slowly when touched.

Flower:   Flowers solitary, yellow, about 1 in. wide, in the leaf axils, resembling a Sweet pea.

Fruit:   Fruit a narrow flat pod with a ridge along the edges, 1-2 in. long.

Notes:   Aeschynomene fluitans is much larger and faster spreading than Neptunia aquatica.