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

Paria Plateau Indian breadroot, Paria River Indian breadroot

Habit Herbs acaulescent or subacaulescent, 2–9 cm, mostly glandular and strigose throughout.
Stems

short-erect, rarely branched (when branched then branches subtended by cataphylls), leaves clustered;

pseudoscapes to 2.5 cm;

cataphylls 6–11 mm, glabrous.

Leaves

palmately 3(–5)-foliolate;

stipules persistent, obovate to oval, 4–10 × 2.5–6 mm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent;

petiole not enlarged but jointed basally, slightly canaliculate, 13–70 mm;

petiolules 0.5–1 mm;

leaflet blades obovate, 0.9–2.5 × 0.7–2.2 cm, base cuneate or attenuate, apex rounded or emarginate, surfaces abaxially gray-green and evenly strigose, adaxially yellow-green and strongly white-strigose along veins.

Inflorescences

disjointing in age at peduncle base, globose;

rachis 0.5–8.5 cm, elongating through fruiting, nodes (1 or)2–6, 3 flowers per node, internodes 1–3 mm;

bracts tardily deciduous or persistent, oblanceolate to elliptic, 4–8 × 3–4 mm, apex abruptly acuminate, short-pubescent.

Peduncles

2–4.5 cm, shorter than subtending petiole, pubescent.

Pedicels

2–5 mm.

Flowers

8–12.5 mm;

calyx broadly gibbous-campanulate in fruit, 10–11.5 mm abaxially, 8–8.5 mm adaxially, eglandular or sparsely glandular, pubescent;

tube 3.3–4.5 mm;

lobes lanceolate or oblanceolate, abaxial 4–6.5 × 2–3.5 mm, adaxial 3–5 × 1–1.5 mm;

corolla ochroleucous, wings and keel suffused purple or purple, banner broadly orbiculate to obovate, (8.5–)10–14 × 5.5–7.5 mm with claw 2.5–3 mm, wings 9–11 × 2.5–3 mm with claw 3.5–4 mm, keel 8–8.5 × 2.5–3 mm with claw 3–4 mm;

filaments 7–8 mm;

anthers broadly elliptic, 0.4 mm;

ovary pubescent apically, style pubescent basally.

Legumes

ellipsoid, 6–7 × 4–4.5 mm, eglandular, strigose, beak 3–4 mm, not exserted beyond calyx.

Seed

gray-green to brown, obovoid, 4.5–5 × 2.5–3 mm, shiny.

Pediomelum pariense

Phenology Flowering spring–summer.
Habitat Barren outcrops in open pine-juniper woodlands.
Elevation 1700–2500 m. (5600–8200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
UT
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Pediomelum pariense is known from Garfield, Kane, and Washington counties. It much prefers open, barren rocky soils, particularly limestone and is considered rare, with fewer than 20 populations known. A few known populations inhabiting the high-elevation escarpment ridges of Bryce Canyon National Park are assured protection, but the bulk of populations exist on the lower steps of the Grand Staircase-Escalante area, areas that may become targets for mining and oil developments. In 2005 and 2006, considerable effort was spent to seek out new populations but without success.

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

Source FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa 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. palmeri, P. pentaphyllum, P. piedmontanum, P. reverchonii, P. rhombifolium, P. subacaule, P. tenuiflorum, P. verdiense
Synonyms Psoralea pariensis
Name authority (S. L. Welsh & N. D. Atwood) J. W. Grimes: Brittonia 38: 185. (1986)
Web links