Stylosanthes hamata

Common Names

Caribbean Stylo, Cheesytoes, Verano, You Gou Zhu Hua Cao, Pencil Flower, Lady's Fingers, Mother Segal, Lucy Julia

Summary

Caribbean stylo is a tropical forage legume native to the Caribbean, southern Florida, and parts of Central and South America; it is an annual or short‑lived perennial, prostrate to semi‑erect, 10–75 cm tall, with much-branched stems and trifoliolate leaves with lanceolate leaflets, forming dalbergioid N-fixing nodules on a strong taproot; inflorescences are axillary or terminal spikes of cream to yellow flowers (often with red slender striations), 8–14 flowers per spike, and seeds brown to black, ellipsoid 2–2.5 mm, with two-segment loments.

For cultivation, it serves as forage for permanent pastures, cut‑and‑carry, hay, and silvopasture; it is drought tolerant and tolerates low soil phosphorus, but not shade, frost, or waterlogging. Tetraploids are rhizobium-promiscuous and commonly inoculated with CB strains; diploids require CB 2126. Seed germination improves with scarification or heat treatment; sowing rate is 1–4 kg/ha; seed production ranges 300–600 kg/ha with total seed set 1,750–2,000 kg/ha; dry matter yields reach up to 17 t/ha in pure stands, 1–7 t/ha in mixed pastures, and 7–10 t/ha in cut‑and‑carry; crude protein leaf 17–24% and IVDMD 60–65%. Grazing management and rotational grazing (~4 weeks) support persistence, with rests every 3–4 years to rebuild seed reserves.

Lifecycle

Annual to short-lived perennial

Height

1-2.5 feet

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally full sun.

Soil Type

Well-drained soil, pH 5.4–8.0, textures from coarse sands to heavy clays, avoid waterlogging

Soil Drainage

Well-drained soils; intolerant of waterlogging.

Soil pH

5.4–8.0; moderately acidic to alkaline soils; diploids: pH ≥6.2 (ideally ≥7.0)

Bloom Color

Yellow

Bloom Time

Summer, Fall, Throughout the growing season

Foliage Color

Bright green

Leaf Lifecycle

Semi-deciduous

Growth Rate

Not specified

Seasons of Interest

Summer

Propagation Methods

Seeds

Attracts Wildlife

Unknown