Pediomelum epipsilum |
Pediomelum tenuiflorum |
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Kane breadroot |
slimflower scurfpea |
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Habit | Herbs clump-forming, acaulescent or subcaulescent, 3–16(–22) cm, mostly glandular (with obvious blond to dark brown glands) and pubescent throughout. | Herbs caulescent, to 130 cm, glandular, glabrate to pubescent. |
Stems | short-erect, unbranched or branched, with 2–5 internodes, sometimes with decumbent lateral stems to 22 cm, strigose to ascending-hairy, leaves appearing clustered basally or on tips of some lateral stems, or dispersed along more elongated stems; pseudoscapes to 4.5 cm; cataphylls to 15 mm. |
erect, much branched distally, leaves dispersed along stems; pseudoscapes 0; cataphylls 4–12 mm, papery, glabrous. |
Leaves | palmately 5(–8)-foliolate; stipules persistent, lanceolate to slightly elliptic, 5–11 × 2.5–4.5 mm, pubescent; petiole jointed basally, 50–80(–100) mm; petiolules 0.5–2 mm; leaflet blades obovate to oblanceolate or ± rhombic, 1.5–2.5(–4) × 1.2–2.5 cm, base cuneate or attenuate, apex broadly acute to rounded, surfaces bicolor, abaxially glandular, cinereous, adaxially bright green, glabrous or sparsely strigose only along base of veins. |
palmately (1 or)3–5-foliolate, rarely with unifoliolate leaf subtending peduncles; stipules persistent to tardily deciduous, linear-lanceolate, (2–)4–5 × 1 mm, glandular, strigose; petiole rarely from swollen pulvinus, 1.5–17(–22) mm; petiolules 1–2.5 mm; leaflet blades elliptic to narrowly oblanceolate, (1–)1.4–3(–4.1) × 0.4–0.8(–1.5) cm, base rounded to attenuate, apex rounded to retuse, often apiculate, surfaces glandular, abaxially strigose, adaxially glabrous. |
Inflorescences | disjointing in age at peduncle base, subglobose to elongate; rachis 1.4–4 cm, elongating in fruit, nodes 4–9, (1–)3(or 4) flowers per node, internodes relatively short or to 10 mm; bracts persistent to tardily deciduous, ovate to broadly lanceolate, 13–18(–22) × 6–10 mm, apex caudate, pubescent. |
persistent, long-ovoid to elongate; rachis 1.5–6 cm, elongating through fruiting, nodes 3–12, 1–3 flowers per node, internodes 1–35 mm; bracts persistent, trullate to lanceolate, 1.5–3(–5) × 0.5–2 mm, glandular, glabrate to strigose. |
Peduncles | 1.4–5 cm, shorter than subtending petiole, pubescent with erect-ascending hairs. |
2–9.5 cm, longer than subtending petiole, strigose. |
Pedicels | 2–4 mm. |
1.5–3 mm. |
Flowers | 14–19 mm; calyx gibbous-campanulate in fruit, (10–)11–16(–18) mm abaxially, (9–)10–15(–16) mm adaxially, tube glandular, pubescent; tube 5–6(–8) mm; lobes linear-lanceolate to elliptic, abaxial 6.5–10 × 2–3 mm, adaxial 6–9 × 1–1.5 mm, glandular or eglandular; corolla purple, banner sometimes paler, oblanceolate, 14–19 × 5–7 mm with claw 6–9 mm, wings 9–18 × 2–3 mm with claw 6–9 mm, keel (10–)12–16 × 2–3 mm with claw 7–9 mm; filaments 11–16 mm; anthers elliptic, 0.3 mm; ovary pubescent or only apically, style pubescent basally. |
5–6 mm; calyx not or only slightly elongating in fruit and not changing shape or becoming gibbous, 2–4 mm, glandular, strigose to glabrate; tube 1–1.5 mm; lobes triangular, abaxial 1.5–2 × 1 mm, adaxial 0.5–1 × 0.5–1 mm; corolla usually dark blue to purple, rarely white, banner usually paler, elliptic to obovate, 4.5–6 × 4.5–6 mm with claw 1–2 mm, wings 6 × 1.5–2.5 mm with claw 1.5–3 mm, keel 3.5–4.5 × 1.5–2 mm with claw 1.5–2 mm; filaments 3.5–4 mm; anthers elliptic, 0.3 mm; ovary glabrous or pubescent apically, style glabrous. |
Legumes | ovoid, 6–9 × 4–4.5 mm, eglandular, pubescent, beak 5–8 mm, ± equal to calyx. |
deciduous with calyx and pedicel, ellipsoid, 7–8 × 3–4 mm, glandular, glabrous, beak broad, 1–2.5 mm, well exserted beyond calyx. |
Seed | brown, reniform, 4–5 × 3 mm, shiny. |
brown, reniform, 5–6 × 3–4 mm, shiny. |
Pediomelum epipsilum |
Pediomelum tenuiflorum |
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Phenology | Flowering late spring–summer. | Flowering spring–summer. |
Habitat | Rocky to clay soils, pine or juniper woodlands, desert shrub communities. | Grasslands, desert scrub, woodlands. |
Elevation | 1600–1700 m. (5200–5600 ft.) | 200–2300 m. (700–7500 ft.) |
Distribution |
AZ; UT |
AZ; CO; IA; IL; IN; KS; MN; MO; MT; NE; NM; NV; OK; SD; TX; UT; WI; WY; Mexico (Chihuahua, Sonora) |
Discussion | Pediomelum epipsilum is known from Coconino and Mohave counties in Arizona and Kane County in Utah. It has been variously treated at specific and varietal rank, but bract and leaflet morphology, as well as phylogenetic data (A. N. Egan and K. A. Crandall 2008, 2008b), support recognition of the taxon at the rank of species. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Pediomelum tenuiflorum is widespread with morphological gradations across its distribution, especially in leaf and inflorescence size and shape and calyx pubescence. P. A. Rydberg (1919–1920) recognized as many as four separate species based on these differences, which seem to be environmentally influenced. The calyx morphology of P. tenuiflorum resembles that of Ladeania lanceolata in that it does not enlarge through fruiting, but differs by the fruit being persistent on the receptacle and falling with the calyx. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 11. | FNA vol. 11. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Psoralea epipsila, P. megalanthum var. epipsilum | Psoralea tenuiflora, Psoralidium tenuiflorum |
Name authority | (Barneby) S. L. Welsh: Great Basin Naturalist 46: 257. (1986) | (Pursh) A. N. Egan: Novon 19: 311. (2009) |
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