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

Indian breadroot, large Indian breadroot, prairie turnip

Habit Herbs caulescent, to 175 cm, glandular and sparsely strigose or glabrate. Herbs usually caulescent, rarely subacaulescent to acaulescent, to 50 cm, eglandular and pubescent throughout.
Stems

erect, several branched distally, leaves dispersed along stems;

pseudoscapes 0;

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

erect, usually unbranched, sometimes branched basally, leaves dispersed along stem and arising nearly perpendicular to it;

pseudoscapes 0.5–2 cm;

cataphylls 0.5–15 mm, striate.

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, broadly lanceolate proximally to linear-lanceolate distally, 10–20 × 2–8 mm, stramineous basally, eglandular, glabrate to sparsely pubescent, hairs semi-erect;

petiole not jointed basally, (2–)30–100(–150) mm;

petiolules 1.5–4 mm;

leaflet blades elliptic to oblanceolate, 2–4(–6) × 0.7–2.3 cm, base attenuate to cuneate, apex broadly acute to rounded or retuse, surfaces abaxially pubescent, adaxially glabrate except on midvein.

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 (not disjointing at base of peduncle in fruit), elliptic to oblong;

rachis 1.6–7 cm, elongating slightly in fruit, nodes (6–)8–15, (2 or)3 flowers per node;

bracts persistent, oblanceolate to elliptic, 5–15 × (0.5–)4–9 mm, glabrate to sparsely pubescent, hairs semi-erect.

Peduncles

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

(0.5–)5–12(–15) cm, shorter than subtending petiole, pilose.

Pedicels

3.5–10 mm.

1–3 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.

12–20 mm;

calyx strongly gibbous-campanulate in fruit, 13–16 mm abaxially, 12–14 mm adaxially, eglandular, pubescent;

tube 5–6 mm;

lobes linear or linear-lanceolate to elliptic, abaxial 7.5–10 × 2–2.5 mm, adaxial 4–7 × 1–1.5 mm;

corolla violet to blue-purple, banner sometimes paler, oblanceolate, 17–18 × 6 mm with claw 7–8 mm, wings 15–16.5 × 3–3.5 mm with claw 6–6.5 mm, keel 12–12.5 × 3 mm with claw 6–6.5 mm;

filaments 11–14 mm;

anthers elliptic, 0.5 mm;

ovary pubescent apically, style glabrous apically.

Legumes

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

oblong, 4–6 × 2.5–3.5 mm, eglandular, pubescent, beak 9–13(–16) mm, exserted beyond calyx.

Seed

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

brown, reniform, 4 × 3 mm, somewhat rugose.

2n

= 22.

Pediomelum linearifolium

Pediomelum esculentum

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering late spring–summer.
Habitat Grasslands, shrub and open woodland communities. Prairies, grasslands, open pine woodlands.
Elevation 100–1500 m. (300–4900 ft.) 500–2000 m. (1600–6600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AR; CO; KS; NE; NM; OK; SD; TX
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AR; CO; IA; IL; KS; MN; MO; MT; ND; NE; NM; OK; SD; TX; WI; WY; AB; MB; SK
[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 esculentum was once one of the main sources of starch for Native American tribes of the Great Plains, eaten fresh, boiled, dried, or ground into flour and used as a thickening agent. Use of the root for food and barter was documented by Lewis and Clark on their historic expedition across the United States (Mer. Lewis and W. Clark 2003).

Pediomelum esculentum ranges in morphology from strongly caulescent to acaulescent with no apparent geographical structuring in this most widespread species. J. W. Grimes (1990) placed this species in subg. Pediomelum due to its persistent inflorescences. Molecular phylogenetic and network analyses suggest a split affinity for P. esculentum between both subgenera, suggesting that this may be an intermediate form and bridge between his subgenera or the groupings suggested by D. J. Ockendon (1965) based on habit—groupings somewhat supported by molecular phylogenies (A. N. Egan and K. A. Crandall 2008, 2008b).

(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. cuspidatum, P. cyphocalyx, P. digitatum, P. epipsilum, 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 esculenta
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: 20. (1919)
Web links