Pediomelum cuspidatum |
Pediomelum digitatum |
|
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largebract Indian breadroot, tallbread scurfpea |
palmleaf Indian breadroot |
|
Habit | Herbs caulescent, to 100+ cm, mostly glandular throughout, strigose becoming glabrate. | Herbs caulescent, 30–90 cm, sparsely glandular on adaxial leaf surfaces, mostly eglandular elsewhere, appressed-canescent. |
Stems | 1+, decumbent to erect-ascending, much branched, leaves dispersed along stems; pseudoscapes rarely branched, 0–14 cm; cataphylls 0–13 mm. |
erect, several branched distally, leaves dispersed along stems; pseudoscapes to 6 cm (when present); cataphylls 7–14 mm, glabrous or pubescent, at least abaxially. |
Leaves | palmately 3–5-foliolate; stipules persistent, erect to reflexed, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, 6–15 × 1–5 mm, glandular, pubescent; petiole enlarged but not jointed basally, often canaliculate, 5–40 mm, sparsely strigose; petiolules 1.5–3.5 mm; leaflet blades oblanceolate to elliptic, oblong, or obovate, 2–4.8 × 0.5–2 cm, base cuneate, apex acute to obtuse or apiculate, surfaces abaxially pubescent, adaxially glabrous. |
palmately (3–)5(–7)-foliolate; stipules persistent, linear becoming arcuate-recurved, 4–11 × 2–3 mm, eglandular or sparsely glandular, sparsely pubescent; petiole sometimes swollen but not jointed basally, slightly canaliculate, 10–35 mm; petiolules 1.5–3 mm; leaflet blades linear-lanceolate to oblanceolate, 0.9–5.5 × 0.2–0.8 cm, base cuneate, apex acuminate to apiculate, surfaces abaxially eglandular and appressed-pubescent, adaxially glandular and glabrate, or at least pubescent, along midvein. |
Inflorescences | persistent, ellipsoid to elongate; rachis 1.5–8.5 cm, nodes (2–)6–17, 3 flowers per node, internodes to 13 mm; bracts persistent, erect to reflexed, lanceolate, 4–17 × 1–6 mm, glandular, pubescent. |
persistent, elongate, lax; rachis 2–6.5 cm, nodes (1 or)2–8, 3 flowers per node, internodes to 32 mm; bracts persistent, spatulate, obovate, or orbiculate, 2–10 × 1–5 mm, appressed-pubescent abaxially, glabrous adaxially. |
Peduncles | 0.6–15 cm, longer than subtending petiole, strigose. |
6.5–22 cm, much longer than subtending petiole, strigose. |
Pedicels | 2–3 mm. |
1–3 mm. |
Flowers | 12–22 mm; calyx strongly gibbous-campanulate in fruit, 9–15 mm abaxially, 8–12 mm adaxially, glandular, pubescent; tube 4–5.5 mm; abaxial lobe lanceolate to elliptic, 8–19 × 2–3.5 mm, adaxial lobes lanceolate, 4–7 × 1–1.5 mm; corolla blue, purple, or violet, banner broadly oblanceolate to obovate, 13–21 × 7–8 mm with claw 4–6 mm, wings 12–18.5 × 3–4 mm with claw 4–7.5 mm, keel 9–13 × 4–7 mm with claw 2.5–3 mm; filaments 8–12 mm; anthers elliptic, 0.5–0.6 mm; ovary glabrous or pubescent and glandular on distal 1/4–1/3, style pubescent basally. |
9.5–10.5 mm; calyx broadly and shallowly campanulate in fruit but not gibbous, 6–8 mm abaxially, 5–6 mm adaxially, eglandular to sparsely glandular, with light blond glands, appressed-pubescent, sometimes sparsely so; tube 2–3 mm; lobes deltate to lanceolate, abaxial 4–5 × 1–1.5 mm, adaxial 1.5 × 1 mm; corolla purple, violet, or blue-lavender, banner oblanceolate, 9.5–10 × 5–6 mm with claw 2–3 mm, wings 9–10 × 3 mm with claw 3–4 mm, keel 6.5–7 × 2–3 mm with claw 3 mm; filaments 6–6.5 mm; anthers ovoid, 0.4 mm; ovary glabrous, pubescent apically, style pubescent basally. |
Legumes | ovoid to obovate, 6–8 × 4–4.5 mm, glandular, pubescent distally, beak 1.5–2 mm, shorter than calyx. |
obovoid to globose, 5–6 × 3.5–4 mm, glandular, sparsely strigose, at least distally, beak triangular, 1.5–4 mm, shorter than calyx lobes. |
Seed | reddish brown, reniform to globose, 3.5–4 × 4.5–5 mm. |
gray-green to red-brown, globose-reniform, 5 × 3–4 mm. |
Pediomelum cuspidatum |
Pediomelum digitatum |
|
Phenology | Flowering spring–summer. | Flowering summer. |
Habitat | Grasslands, meadows, woodlands. | Grasslands, shrub communities. |
Elevation | 50–1500 m. (200–4900 ft.) | 50–1500 m. (200–4900 ft.) |
Distribution |
CO; KS; MT; NE; OK; SD; TX
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AR; CO; KS; LA; NE; NM; OK; SD; TX; WY
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Discussion | Pediomelum cuspidatum is one of the larger species in the genus, in spite of its procumbent habit with erect-ascending, copious lateral branches. Horizontal stems are often bicolored, purple adaxially and light green abaxially. It is variable, particularly in plant height, flower length, and inflorescence length. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Pediomelum digitatum is similar to P. linearifolium in habit, size, and distribution but differs in having more leaflets and pedicels 1–3 mm; pedicels in P. linearifolium can be 3–4 times as long. Furthermore, P. digitatum is eglandular or very sparsely glandular abaxially on leaflet blades whereas P. linearifolium is profusely glandular on both leaflet blade surfaces. Variety parvifolium refers to plants in Texas with narrow leaflets; J. W. Grimes (1990) and D. Isely (1998) stated that variation in leaflet size is found throughout the range, and thus var. parvifolium is not recognized herein as distinct. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 11. | FNA vol. 11. |
Parent taxa | Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Pediomelum | Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Pediomelum |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Psoralea cuspidata | Psoralea digitata, P. digitatum var. parvifolium, Psoralea digitata var. parvifolia, Psoralidium digitatum |
Name authority | (Pursh) Rydberg in N. L. Britton et al.: N. Amer. Fl. 24: 19. (1919) | (Nuttall ex Torrey & A. Gray) Isely: Sida 11: 430. (1986) |
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