Sophora nuttalliana
Sophora leachiana
silky sophora, white loco, white sophora
western necklace-pod, western sophora, western sophora or necklacepod
rachis (3–)5–8 cm;
leaflets (7–)11–23, blades ovate to oblanceolate, 0.5–1.5 cm, surfaces sericeous abaxially, glabrous adaxially.
rachis 8–17 cm;
leaflets 16–21, blades obovate to oblong, 1.5–2.6 cm, surfaces villous-tomentose abaxially, appressed-pubescent adaxially.
6–35-flowered, loose to dense, 2–8 cm;
bracteoles 2.
14–64-flowered, lax, 7–15 cm;
bracteoles 1 or 2.
1–2 mm.
2–6 mm.
ascending, becoming spreading or descending, 12–16 mm;
calyx asymmetrically tubular, asymmetrically pouched, 5–8 mm;
corolla white to creamy white;
ovary pubescent.
divergent or soon declined, 13–16 mm;
calyx tubular-campanulate, asymmetrically pouched, 6–8 mm;
corolla creamy white;
ovary pubescent.
light brown, cylindric, torulose, 3–7 × 0.5–1 cm, firmly papery.
light brown, cylindric, fusiform, or torulose, 3–4 × 0.4 cm, leathery.
(1 or)2–4(–6), mustard-yellow or olivaceous to brown, 4.5–5 mm.
1 or 2, often dull mustard-yellow, sometimes light brown, 4–5 mm.
= 36.
= 36, 54.
Sophora nuttalliana
Sophora leachiana
Clonal patches of Sophora nuttalliana are widespread in the short-grass prairies of the Great Plains and adjacent areas. When in flower, it has an aspect reminiscent of Astragalus. Like that genus, it and other Sophora species are considered toxic (G. E. Burrows and R. L. Tyrl 2013). However, experiments involving feeding large amounts of plant material to horses failed to provoke symptoms (J. M. Kingsbury 1964). Roots of S. nuttalliana reportedly have been used by Native American groups as a sweetener and special food treat, and the plants have been used as forage for sheep (D. E. Moerman 1998).
The name Sophora carnosa (Pursh) Yakovlev is based on an illegitimate name, Astragalus carnosus Pursh, with which A. crassicarpus Nuttall was cited in synonymy. The fruit described for A. carnosus is that of A. crassicarpus, while the rest of the description is based on flowers and foliage of S. nuttalliana.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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.)
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