Flora of North America species comparison

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Sophora stenophylla

Sophora leachiana

blue sophora, fringeleaf necklacepod, silvery sophora

western necklace-pod, western sophora, western sophora or necklacepod
Habit Herbs, 0.1–0.4 m, sericeous to subvillous, rhizomatous. Herbs, 0.2–0.4 m, finely gray-tomentose, rhizomatous.
Leaves

rachis 2–4 cm;

leaflets 9–15, blades narrowly linear, 0.5–3 cm, surfaces subsericeous.

rachis 8–17 cm;

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

5–35-flowered, crowded or loose, 5–20 cm;

bracteoles 0.

14–64-flowered, lax, 7–15 cm;

bracteoles 1 or 2.
Pedicels

5–6 mm.

2–6 mm.
Flowers

ascending-divergent, 16–25 mm;

calyx broadly campanulate, asymmetrically pouched, 5–9 mm;

corolla purple, fading blue;

ovary pubescent.

divergent or soon declined, 13–16 mm;

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

corolla creamy white;

ovary pubescent.
Legumes

tan to light brown, cylindric, torulose, 2–6 × 0.6–0.8 cm, papery to almost leathery.

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

1–6, mustard-yellow, 6–7 mm.

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

= 36, 54.

Sophora stenophylla

Sophora leachiana
Phenology Flowering Apr–Jun. Flowering May–Jun.
Habitat Deep sand, dunes, with sage, juniper, and Ephedra. Open mixed forests, roadsides.
Elevation 900–1900 m. (3000–6200 ft.) 400–500 m. (1300–1600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; NM; UT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Sophora stenophylla is known from Utah in all counties from Uintah County southwestward to Washington County and counties east, from the three northeastern counties (Apache, Coconino, and Navajo) of Arizona, and from northwestern and south-central New Mexico. The species has pleasantly fragrant flowers. It grows in dunes or areas of loose to compacted sands.

A report of Sophora stenophylla from Nevada (V. E. Rudd 1972) could not be verified.

(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.)
Source FNA vol. 11. FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Sophora Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Sophora
Sibling taxa
S. leachiana, S. nuttalliana, S. tomentosa
S. nuttalliana, S. stenophylla, S. tomentosa
Synonyms Vexibia stenophylla Vexibia leachiana
Name authority A. Gray in J. C. Ives: Rep. Colorado R. 4: 10. (1861) M. Peck: Madroño 6: 13. (1941)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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