A short‐petiole trait, found in a segregating F3 soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] line, may have utility in narrow‐row culture. The objective of this study was to determine the inheritance of the trait. Crosses were made between short‐petiole and long‐petiole parents. Measurements of the top petioles of parental, F1, F2, and F3 populations indicate that the trait is controlled by a single recessive gene, lps.