Flora of North America species comparison

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Sophora tomentosa

Sophora stenophylla

yellow necklacepod, yellow sophora

blue sophora, fringeleaf necklacepod, silvery sophora
Habit Shrubs or small trees, 1–3(–6) m, tomentulose to deeply sericeous. Herbs, 0.1–0.4 m, sericeous to subvillous, rhizomatous.
Leaves

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.

rachis 2–4 cm;

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

35–75-flowered, crowded, 12–32 cm;

bracteoles 0.

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

bracteoles 0.
Pedicels

4–10 mm.

5–6 mm.
Flowers

spreading, (17–)20–25 mm;

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

corolla creamy white to yellow;

ovary pubescent.

ascending-divergent, 16–25 mm;

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

corolla purple, fading blue;

ovary pubescent.
Legumes

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

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

1–15, light brown, 4–8 mm.

1–6, mustard-yellow, 6–7 mm.
2n

= 18.

Sophora tomentosa

Sophora stenophylla
Phenology Flowering Apr–Jun.
Habitat Deep sand, dunes, with sage, juniper, and Ephedra.
Elevation 900–1900 m. (3000–6200 ft.)
Distribution
from USDA
sc United States; se United States; Mexico; Central America; West Indies; n South America; se Asia; Africa; Pacific Islands; Australia
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; NM; UT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)

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.)
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. leachiana, S. nuttalliana, S. stenophylla
S. leachiana, S. nuttalliana, S. tomentosa
Subordinate taxa
S. tomentosa subsp. bahamensis, S. tomentosa subsp. occidentalis
Synonyms Vexibia stenophylla
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 373. (1753) A. Gray in J. C. Ives: Rep. Colorado R. 4: 10. (1861)
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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