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western necklace-pod, western sophora, western sophora or necklacepod

Habit Herbs, 0.2–0.4 m, finely gray-tomentose, rhizomatous.
Leaves

rachis 8–17 cm;

leaflets 16–21, blades obovate to oblong, 1.5–2.6 cm, surfaces villous-tomentose abaxially, appressed-pubescent adaxially.

Inflorescences

14–64-flowered, lax, 7–15 cm;

bracteoles 1 or 2.

Pedicels

2–6 mm.

Flowers

divergent or soon declined, 13–16 mm;

calyx tubular-campanulate, asymmetrically pouched, 6–8 mm;

corolla creamy white;

ovary pubescent.

Legumes

light brown, cylindric, fusiform, or torulose, 3–4 × 0.4 cm, leathery.

Seeds

1 or 2, often dull mustard-yellow, sometimes light brown, 4–5 mm.

2n

= 36, 54.

Sophora leachiana

Phenology Flowering May–Jun.
Habitat Open mixed forests, roadsides.
Elevation 400–500 m. (1300–1600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Sophora leachiana is known from the Siskiyou Mountains of Josephine County along the drainages of Briggs, Galice, and Taylor creeks, in dry, often disturbed sites, both natural and human-derived, and surrounded by pine, Douglas-fir, oak, and hardwood forests. It aggressively colonizes open areas and dies out once the forest cover is reestablished; seed-set is low (C. A. Crowder 1978). Sophora leachiana is hypothesized to be closely related to the North American species S. nuttalliana and S. stenophylla, and to the Asian species S. alopecuroides Linnaeus (Crowder 1982).

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

Source FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Sophora
Sibling taxa
S. nuttalliana, S. stenophylla, S. tomentosa
Synonyms Vexibia leachiana
Name authority M. Peck: Madroño 6: 13. (1941)
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