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Palmer's breadroot

palmleaf Indian breadroot

Habit Herbs caulescent, to 60 cm, pubescent and glandular on adaxial leaflet surfaces, rarely on calyx lobes, stipules, or bracts. Herbs caulescent, 30–90 cm, sparsely glandular on adaxial leaf surfaces, mostly eglandular elsewhere, appressed-canescent.
Stems

usually prostrate, rarely decumbent, often branched from base, sometimes branched distally, leaves dispersed uniformly along stems;

pseudoscapes to 30 cm (when present);

cataphylls blond to brown, to 15 mm, veined.

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

mostly pseudopalmately 5-foliolate, sometimes proximalmost leaves pinnately 3-foliolate;

stipules persistent, lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, 2–5.5 × 1–2 mm, appressed-spreading pubescent;

petiole swollen proximally, not jointed, slightly canaliculate, 6–75 mm;

petiolules 1 mm, terminal petiolule often to 10 mm;

leaflet blades elliptic to lanceolate or orbiculate (sometimes dimorphically so), 0.7–3.1 × 0.3–1.3 cm, base cuneate, apex broadly acute to acuminate, surfaces abaxially eglandular and glabrate to pubescent along veins, adaxially obscurely glandular and glabrate to pubescent with pubescent margins.

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, subcapitate to ovoid;

rachis 0.4–1.8 cm, nodes 1–5, 3 flowers per node, internodes to 5 mm;

bracts persistent, lanceolate to spatulate, 1–3 × 0.5–2 mm, margins 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

0.5–10.5 cm, usually longer than subtending petiole, sparsely strigose.

6.5–22 cm, much longer than subtending petiole, strigose.

Pedicels

0.5–2 mm.

1–3 mm.

Flowers

6–9 mm;

calyx gibbous-campanulate in fruit, 4.5–6 mm abaxially, 4.5–5.5 mm adaxially, strigose, lobes rarely glandular;

tube stramineous, 2–4 mm;

abaxial lobe lanceolate or elliptic to slightly oblanceolate, 3.5–4 × 2 mm, adaxial lobes lanceolate, 2–3 × 1 mm;

corolla with whitish green to yellow base and salmon-pink apex, or yellow throughout, banner oblanceolate-obovate, 5–9 × 2–2.5 mm with claw 1.5–2.5 mm, wings 6–8 × 1.5–2.5 mm with claw 2–4 mm, keel 5–7 × 2–2.5 mm with claw 2–3.5 mm;

filaments 4.5–6.5 mm;

anthers elliptic, 0.3 mm;

ovary sparsely pubescent apically, style sparsely pubescent.

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

globose-ellipsoid, 4.5–5.5 × 4–5 mm, eglandular, sparsely strigose on distal 1/2, abruptly narrowing to a beak 5.5–10 mm, exserted well beyond 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

light brown or gray-brown, lenticular, 4.5 × 3–4 mm, shiny;

hilum surrounded by raised, white ridge.

gray-green to red-brown, globose-reniform, 5 × 3–4 mm.

Pediomelum palmeri

Pediomelum digitatum

Phenology Flowering spring–summer. Flowering summer.
Habitat Open areas in grasslands and pine forest communities. Grasslands, shrub communities.
Elevation 1000–2000 m. (3300–6600 ft.) 50–1500 m. (200–4900 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Guanajuato, Jalisco, San Luis Potosí, Sonora)
from FNA
AR; CO; KS; LA; NE; NM; OK; SD; TX; WY
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Discussion

Pediomelum palmeri is found in a variety of habitats; it is known from a few collections in Santa Cruz County and is widespread in Mexico.

Pediomelum palmeri has a rather difficult nomenclatural history. Psoralea pentaphylla Linnaeus was misapplied to this taxon by P. A. Rydberg (1919–1920). D. J. Ockendon (1965) discovered the misapplication and, in a footnote, renamed the species Psoralea palmeri Ockendon but without a Latin description, then required for valid naming of a new species. J. W. Grimes (1990) transferred Psoralea palmeri to Pediomelum, with the name then purported to be Pediomelum palmeri (Ockendon) Grimes, but again without a valid Latin description. J. T. Kartesz and K. N. Gandhi (1992b) recognized the error and presented a Latin description with the name P. ockendonii Gandhi & Kartesz but overlooked the correction made by Ockendon (1966) wherein he provided a Latin description, rendering their name as superfluous. Gandhi (2015) validated P. palmeri Grimes.

(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
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. linearifolium, P. megalanthum, P. mephiticum, 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. 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 palmeri Psoralea digitata, P. digitatum var. parvifolium, Psoralea digitata var. parvifolia, Psoralidium digitatum
Name authority (Ockendon) J. W. Grimes ex Gandhi: Harvard Pap. Bot. 20: 213. (2015) (Nuttall ex Torrey & A. Gray) Isely: Sida 11: 430. (1986)
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