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

yellow necklacepod, yellow sophora

Habit Herbs, 0.2–0.4 m, finely gray-tomentose, rhizomatous. Shrubs or small trees, 1–3(–6) m, tomentulose to deeply sericeous.
Leaves

rachis 8–17 cm;

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

rachis 10–25 cm;

leaflets 11–21, blades obovate, oblong, elliptic, or suborbiculate, 2–4(–5) cm, surfaces villous to sericeous abaxially, densely villous, sericeous, or glabrescent adaxially.

Inflorescences

14–64-flowered, lax, 7–15 cm;

bracteoles 1 or 2.

35–75-flowered, crowded, 12–32 cm;

bracteoles 0.

Pedicels

2–6 mm.

4–10 mm.

Flowers

divergent or soon declined, 13–16 mm;

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

corolla creamy white;

ovary pubescent.

spreading, (17–)20–25 mm;

calyx broadly campanulate, 5–8[–10] mm;

corolla creamy white to yellow;

ovary pubescent.

Legumes

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

black, narrowly oblong-moniliform, 5–15(–20) × 0.5–1 cm, leathery.

Seeds

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

1–15, light brown, 4–8 mm.

2n

= 36, 54.

= 18.

Sophora leachiana

Sophora tomentosa

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]
from USDA
sc United States; se United States; Mexico; Central America; West Indies; n South America; se Asia; Africa; Pacific Islands; Australia
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[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.)

Subspecies ca. 7 (2 in the flora).

Sophora tomentosa is polymorphic and has a worldwide distribution along tropical and subtropical seashores. The seeds are considered toxic and have diuretic, sudorific, and purgative properties; they are also used for other medicinal purposes (R. A. Vines 1960).

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

Key
1. Leaflet blades mostly obovate or oblong; flowers (17–)20–23 mm.
subsp. bahamensis
1. Leaflet blades broadly elliptic or suborbiculate; flowers 23–25 mm.
subsp. occidentalis
Source FNA vol. 11. FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Sophora Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Sophora
Sibling taxa
S. nuttalliana, S. stenophylla, S. tomentosa
S. leachiana, S. nuttalliana, S. stenophylla
Subordinate taxa
S. tomentosa subsp. bahamensis, S. tomentosa subsp. occidentalis
Synonyms Vexibia leachiana
Name authority M. Peck: Madroño 6: 13. (1941) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 373. (1753)
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