Pediomelum mephiticum |
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skunktop |
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Habit | Herbs acaulescent or subacaulescent, 4–16 cm, mostly glandular (with obvious blond to dark brown glands) and pubescent throughout. |
Stems | erect, unbranched, retrorsely hairy, leaves clustered; pseudoscapes mainly subterranean, to 4 cm; cataphylls 0–5 mm, glabrous or pubescent. |
Leaves | palmately 5(or 6)-foliolate; stipules usually persistent, sometimes tardily deciduous, lanceolate to elliptic, (4–)7–11 × 2.5–8 mm, glabrate to pubescent; petiole jointed basally, (30–)50–120 mm, retrorse-hairy; petiolules 2–3 mm; leaflet blades abaxially gray-green, adaxially green to yellow-green, cuneate-obovate to orbiculate, (1.5–)2–4 × (0.8–)1.5–3.5 cm, base cuneate, apex broadly acute to rounded or retuse, surfaces glandular and pubescent. |
Inflorescences | disjointing in age at peduncle base, globose to elongate, 1.5–5(–8) cm; rachis 1.5–2.5 cm, nodes 4–6(–10), (2 or)3 flowers per node, internodes to 8 mm; bracts tardily deciduous or persistent, ovate to elliptic, 5–12 × 3–7 mm, long-pubescent. |
Peduncles | (2–)4–8(–10) cm, equal to or shorter than subtending petiole, pilose, hairs spreading or spreading-retrorse. |
Pedicels | 2–4(–6) mm. |
Flowers | 10–13 mm; calyx gibbous-campanulate in fruit, 10–12.5 mm abaxially, 10–12 mm adaxially, glandular, pubescent; tube 2.5–4 mm; lobes linear or linear-lanceolate to elliptic, abaxial 7–9 × 2–3 mm, adaxial 4–8 × 1–1.5 mm; corolla mostly purple, banner white to ochroleucous, elliptic to oblanceolate, 9–12 × 6 mm with claw 2–4 mm, wings 10–12 × 2–2.5 mm with claw 4–4.5 mm, keel 8–9 × 2–3 mm with claw 3.5–4.5 mm; filaments 7–8.5 mm; anthers elliptic, 0.3 mm; ovary glabrous or pubescent apically, style glabrous or pubescent proximally. |
Legumes | globose to ovoid, 5–7 × 3.5–5 mm, eglandular, pubescent on adaxial 1/2, beak 1–4 mm, not exserted beyond calyx. |
Seed | red-brown to dark brown or gray-green and black-mottled, ellipsoid to reniform, 4–5 × 3 mm. |
Pediomelum mephiticum |
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Phenology | Flowering spring–summer. |
Habitat | Rocky or sandy soils, pine, juniper, or oak woodlands. |
Elevation | 700–2000 m. (2300–6600 ft.) |
Distribution |
AZ; NV; UT
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Discussion | The type locality of Pediomelum mephiticum is stated as Beaver City, Utah, which is largely agreed to be erroneous. The type locality is more likely Beaver Dam, Arizona (J. W. Grimes 1990). Pediomelum mephiticum is known from Mohave County in Arizona, Clark and Lincoln counties in Nevada, and Washington County in Utah. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 11. |
Parent taxa | |
Sibling taxa | |
Synonyms | Psoralea mephitica |
Name authority | (S. Watson) Rydberg in N. L. Britton et al.: N. Amer. Fl. 24: 22. (1919) |
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