Hoffmannseggia glauca |
Hoffmannseggia tenella |
|
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hoffmanseggia, hog potato, Indian rushpea, pig-nut |
slender rush-pea |
|
Habit | Herbs, 5–30(–50) cm; from deep taproot, producing round, tuberlike spheres to 2 cm. | Herbs, spreading or decumbent, to 20 cm; from woody taproot. |
Leaves | 38–150 ×13–42 mm; stipules ovate, 1.5–4 × 1.5–3 mm, ciliate; pinnae 4–13; leaflets 7–27 per pinna, blades obtuse-ovate, 2–6 × 1–4.5 mm, surfaces strigose abaxially, glabrous adaxially. |
53–120 × 17–40 mm; stipules ovate, 1.5–2 × 1–1.5 mm; pinnae 5–7; leaflets 5 or 6 per pinna, blades oblong, 3.5–5.5 × 1.5–2 mm, surfaces puberulent to slightly tomentose abaxially (especially margins), glabrous adaxially. |
Racemes | 4–15-flowered, terminal, 5–23 cm; rachis and pedicels puberulent to strigose and stipitate-glandular. |
3–7-flowered, terminal, 1.3–10 cm; rachis and pedicels sparsely pubescent, eglandular. |
Flowers | turning downward, broadly flared, 10–16 × 10–18 mm; calyx persistent, densely pubescent abaxially, with multicellular, glandular trichomes; banner yellow, drying pink with red markings, 5–14 × 5 mm, conspicuous multicellular, glandular trichomes on claw and abaxial surface, with few hairs at base of folded claw adaxially; lateral petals bright yellow, 13 × 6 mm, with multicellular, glandular trichomes on claw margins and base abaxially. |
narrowly conical, 6–10 × 3–4 mm; calyx persistent, margins reddish, distinct portion 4–5 × 1 mm, shortly pubescent abaxially (including margins), eglandular; banner yellow-pink to rose, folded, 6 × 4 mm, glabrous; lateral petals rose, 4 × 2.5 mm. |
Legumes | tan, rectangular to arcuate, sometimes expanded near apex, 20–40 × 5–8 mm, indehiscent, margins ± parallel, obscure, apex obtuse to acute; valves flat, sparsely tomentose, with a few scattered multicellular, glandular trichomes appearing as brown dots. |
upright, slightly undulate, straight, edges often red, rectangular, 8–19 × 5–6 mm, indehiscent, base pointed, margins pronounced, puberulent to pubescent, apex acute; valves flat, thin, reticulate, glabrate or puberulent. |
Seeds | 1–10. |
2–4. |
2n | = 24. |
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Hoffmannseggia glauca |
Hoffmannseggia tenella |
|
Phenology | Flowering spring. | Flowering spring–fall. |
Habitat | Disturbed areas. | Clay soils in coastal prairie grasslands. |
Elevation | 0–3000 m. (0–9800 ft.) | 10–20 m. (0–100 ft.) |
Distribution |
AZ; CA; KS; NM; OK; TX; Mexico; South America (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Peru)
|
TX |
Discussion | Hoffmannseggia glauca is considered a noxious weed in agricultural and pasture lands of the middle and southwestern United States, spreading aggressively by tuberous roots. While it is possible that it was introduced into North America by humans, historical use of the tubers by indigenous people in the American Southwest indicates a long association and, perhaps, natural long-distance dispersal from South America. Hoffmannseggia falcaria Cavanilles, an illegitimate and superfluous name, pertains here. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Hoffmannseggia tenella is known from Kleberg and Nueces counties in southern Texas. It is in the Center for Plant Conservation’s National Collection of Endangered Plants. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 11. | FNA vol. 11. |
Parent taxa | Fabaceae > subfam. Caesalpinioideae (excluding Mimosoid clade) > Hoffmannseggia | Fabaceae > subfam. Caesalpinioideae (excluding Mimosoid clade) > Hoffmannseggia |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Larrea glauca, Caesalpinia falcaria var. capitata, C. falcaria var. pringlei, C. falcaria var. rusbyi, H. densiflora, H. falcaria var. capitata, H. falcaria var. pringlei, H. falcaria var. rusbyi, H. stricta, H. stricta var. demissa | |
Name authority | (Ortega) Eifert: Sida 5: 43. (1972) — (as Hoffmanseggia) | Tharp & L. O. Williams: Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 23: 451. (1936) — (as Hoffmanseggia) |
Web links |