Pediomelum pariense |
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Paria Plateau Indian breadroot, Paria River Indian breadroot |
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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 |
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Phenology | Flowering spring–summer. |
Habitat | Barren outcrops in open pine-juniper woodlands. |
Elevation | 1700–2500 m. (5600–8200 ft.) |
Distribution |
UT |
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 | |
Sibling taxa | |
Synonyms | Psoralea pariensis |
Name authority | (S. L. Welsh & N. D. Atwood) J. W. Grimes: Brittonia 38: 185. (1986) |
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