Chamaecrista is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae, subfamily Caesalpinioideae. Members of the genus are commonly known as sensitive pea. Several species are capable of rapid plant movement. Unlike the related genera Cassia and Senna, members of Chamaecrista form root nodules. Chamaecrista has 367 species, with a wide distribution – the Americas from Minnesota to northern Argentina, sub-Saharan Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and Iran, the Indian Subcontinent, Indochina, China, Korea, Japan, Malesia, New Guinea, and Australia.

Species

Chamaecrista comprises the following species, organized into sections, subsections, and series:

Section Apoucouita Benth.

Series Apoucouita Series Pteridophyllae

Section Absus DC. ex Colladon emend. Irwin & Barneby

'Subsection Absus'' DC. ex Colladon ''' Series Absoideae Series Adenophyllae Series Andromedeae Series Atroglandulosae Series Bracteolatae Series Catharticae Series Confertae Series Ericifoliae Series Geminatae Series Glutinosae Series Gracillimae Series Hassleranae Series Hedysaroides Series Incanae Series Incurvatae Series Lomatopodae Series Lucidae Series Microphyllae Series Nigricantes Series Ochnaceae Series Oligospermae Series Paniculatae Series Pinifoliae Series Rigidulae As traditionally circumscribed here, Chamaecrista ser. Rigidulae is polyphyletic. However, the series is monophyletic if redefined to exclude C. brachyblepharis and C. ciliolata and include C. sincorana and C. botryoides (from series Microphyllae). The species in the series are all endemic to Brazil and can be divided geographically into two main lineages, one from the highlands of Goiás, and the second from the Espinhaço Range of Bahia and Minas Gerais. Series Secundae Series Setosae Series Spinulosae Series Strictifoliae Series Trachycarpae Series Unijugae Series Ursinae Subsection Adenophyllum Irwin & Barneby Subsection Baseophyllum (Colladon) Irwin & Barneby Subsection Otophyllum Irwin & Barneby

Section Caliciopsis Irwin & Barneby

Section Chamaecrista Moench

Series Bauhinianae (Colladon) Irwin & Barneby Series Chamaecrista Moench Series Coriaceae (Bentham) Irwin & Barneby Series Flexuosae Irwin & Barneby Series Greggianae Irwin & Barneby Series Prostratae (Bentham) Irwin & Bameby

Section Grimaldia (Schrank) Irwin & Barneby

Section Xerocalyx (Bentham) Irwin & Barneby

Incertae sedis

Species names with uncertain taxonomic status

The status of the following species is unresolved: