The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

narrowleaf Indian breadroot, slimleaf scurfpea

largebract Indian breadroot, tallbread scurfpea

Habit Herbs caulescent, to 175 cm, glandular and sparsely strigose or glabrate. Herbs caulescent, to 100+ cm, mostly glandular throughout, strigose becoming glabrate.
Stems

erect, several branched distally, leaves dispersed along stems;

pseudoscapes 0;

cataphylls often deciduous, sometime persistent, 5–12 mm.

1+, decumbent to erect-ascending, much branched, leaves dispersed along stems;

pseudoscapes rarely branched, 0–14 cm;

cataphylls 0–13 mm.

Leaves

palmately 3(or 4)-foliolate, or unifoliolate when subtending inflorescences;

stipules tardily deciduous or persistent, linear-lanceolate to elliptic or rhombic, 3–10(–12) × 0.5–1.5 mm, glabrous or sparsely strigose;

petiole not swollen or jointed basally, terete to slightly canaliculate, 3–11 mm;

petiolules 0.5–3 mm;

leaflet blades linear or narrowly to broadly elliptic, 2–6 × 0.3–0.6 cm, base attenuate, apex acuminate to apiculate, surfaces black-glandular, abaxially pubescent, adaxially glabrous.

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.

Inflorescences

persistent, elongate, lax;

rachis 1.2–9.5 cm, nodes 3–7, (1–)3 flowers per node, internodes to 22 mm;

bracts persistent, lanceolate to orbiculate, 1.5–3.5 × 1–1.5 mm, apex often apiculate, glandular and glabrous or abaxially pubescent.

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.

Peduncles

0.8–10.5 cm, much longer than subtending petiole, appressed-pubescent.

0.6–15 cm, longer than subtending petiole, strigose.

Pedicels

3.5–10 mm.

2–3 mm.

Flowers

8–11 mm;

calyx slightly enlarging in fruit becoming broadly and shallowly campanulate but not gibbous, 4.5–6 mm abaxially, 4–5.5 mm adaxially, glandular, appressed-pubescent, sometimes sparsely so;

tube 2.5–4 mm;

lobes triangular, abaxial 2–4 × 1.5–2.5 mm, adaxial 1.5–3.5 × 1–2 mm;

corolla usually blue-violet to violet-purple, sometimes white, banner usually lighter in throat, oblanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 8–11.5 × 5–7 mm with claw 2–2.5 mm, wings 8–11.5 × 2–3 mm with claw 2–4 mm, keel 6–7 × 2–2.5 mm with claw 3–3.5 mm;

filaments 6–6.5 mm;

anthers elliptic, 0.5 mm;

ovary glabrous, sometimes minutely pubescent apically, style glabrous or minutely pubescent basally.

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.

Legumes

broadly ellipsoid to globose, 8–10.5 × 8.5–10.5 mm, glandular, glabrous, beak 3–3.5 mm, exserted beyond calyx.

ovoid to obovate, 6–8 × 4–4.5 mm, glandular, pubescent distally, beak 1.5–2 mm, shorter than calyx.

Seed

olive green to light brown, globose-reniform, 4–6 × 3–4 mm.

reddish brown, reniform to globose, 3.5–4 × 4.5–5 mm.

Pediomelum linearifolium

Pediomelum cuspidatum

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering spring–summer.
Habitat Grasslands, shrub and open woodland communities. Grasslands, meadows, woodlands.
Elevation 100–1500 m. (300–4900 ft.) 50–1500 m. (200–4900 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AR; CO; KS; NE; NM; OK; SD; TX
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CO; KS; MT; NE; OK; SD; TX
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Pediomelum linearifolium is easily distinguished from its congeners by the tall, gangly habit (more than 1 m) and lax inflorescences that nod (as opposed to tight heads in P. reverchonii, another species that achieves a tall habit), and by being glandular throughout (as opposed to P. digitatum, which has eglandular calyces).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

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.)

Source FNA vol. 11. FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Pediomelum Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Pediomelum
Sibling taxa
P. argophyllum, P. aromaticum, P. californicum, P. canescens, P. castoreum, P. cuspidatum, P. cyphocalyx, P. digitatum, P. epipsilum, P. esculentum, P. humile, P. hypogaeum, P. latestipulatum, P. megalanthum, P. mephiticum, P. palmeri, P. pariense, P. pentaphyllum, P. piedmontanum, P. reverchonii, P. rhombifolium, P. subacaule, P. tenuiflorum, P. verdiense
P. argophyllum, P. aromaticum, P. californicum, P. canescens, P. castoreum, P. cyphocalyx, P. digitatum, P. epipsilum, P. esculentum, P. humile, P. hypogaeum, P. latestipulatum, P. linearifolium, P. megalanthum, P. mephiticum, P. palmeri, P. pariense, P. pentaphyllum, P. piedmontanum, P. reverchonii, P. rhombifolium, P. subacaule, P. tenuiflorum, P. verdiense
Synonyms Psoralea linearifolia, Psoralidium linearifolium Psoralea cuspidata
Name authority (Torrey & A. Gray) J. W. Grimes: Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 61: 72. (1990) (Pursh) Rydberg in N. L. Britton et al.: N. Amer. Fl. 24: 19. (1919)
Web links