Pignut Information

(Hoffmanseggia densiflora)

Also known as Hog potato, Indian rush-pea
Low growing, slender-stemmed perennial legume

Habitat:
            *Semi-arid but humid environment
            *Any soil type: prefers alkaline
            *Tolerant of light shade
            *Roadsides and ditchbanks
            *Fallow and waste areas
            *Cropland
            *Range and pasture (disturbed/overgrazed areas)

Flowers:
            *Yellow/Orange, covered with small, sticky tack-shaped glands
            *Hermaphroditic
            *April through October

Seeds:
            *Flattened, slightly curved, dark reddish brown pods
            *Seeds are egg-shaped, gray, smooth and flattened

Roots:
            *Lateral roots 18" deep with swollen, tuberous storage organs
            *Roots provide extremely high water transport efficiency 

Shoots:
            *Weak, slender stems

Growth and reproduction:
            *Mature plant: 6-12" height
            *Reproduction primarily from root-borne buds and tubers, some from seed

Management:
            *Tillage: 3-5" deep every 21-30 days (within 10 days of emergence)
            *Grubbing/digging: must remove all tubers and roots
            *Herbicides: picloram (Do not apply to cropland)

Threats:
            *Extremely competitive for moisture
            *Forms of monocultures that exclude native flora and fauna