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golden banner, golden pea, mountain buck-bean, mountain golden-banner, mountain golden-pea, mountain thermopsis

Aaron's rod, Blue Ridge false lupine

Habit Herbs delicate, 2–8(–10) dm, glabrate, appressed-pubescent, or thinly villous. Herbs 6–18 dm, glabrate (except racemes densely villous).
Stems

slender, erect, solitary or clustered, moderately or few-branched, from woody rootstock or rhizomes;

branches ascending at 20–45º, weakly or moderately zigzag.

thick, erect, solitary or clustered, few-branched, from woody rootstock;

branches spreading at 45–60º, moderately zigzag.

Leaves

stipules persistent, widely ovate or elliptic, 1.7–4.5 × 0.7–2.5 cm, base oblique to cuneate, apex acuminate or acute;

petiole 1–4 cm;

leaflet blades elliptic or obovate, 3.5–8 × 0.7–3(–5) cm, lateral veins 6–11 pairs, conspicuously net-veined abaxially or not, apex acute or obtuse, sometimes short-mucronate or emarginate, surfaces sparsely appressed-pubescent or glabrous.

stipules persistent, elliptic to ovate, 1.5–4.5 × 0.9–2.4 cm, base oblique to cuneate, apex acute to obtuse;

petiole 2–5(–6) cm;

leaflet blades elliptic, 4–9.5 × 1.8–4.4 cm, lateral veins 6–8 pairs, conspicuously net-veined abaxially, apex acute to obtuse, surfaces sparsely villous abaxially, glabrate adaxially.

Racemes

6–25-flowered, 4–25 cm;

flowers in whorls of 2 or 3 or scattered.

10–50-flowered, 15–50 cm;

flowers in whorls of 2 or 3 or scattered.

Peduncles

2–8 cm;

bracts semipersistent, narrowly elliptic or elliptic to widely ovate, 6–10 × 2.5–6 mm.

6–13 cm;

bracts deciduous, widely ovate to widely obovate, 5–7 × 5–6(–8) mm.

Pedicels

3.5–5 mm, villosulous.

2–3 mm, densely villous.

Flowers

1.6–2.2 cm;

calyx 9–11 × 5–8 mm at limb, lobes 3–5 mm, shorter than tube;

wings and keel petals asymmetrically oblong-elliptic;

ovary velutinous or densely appressed-pubescent;

ovules 10–16.

1.7–1.9 cm;

calyx 7–8 × 5–6.5 mm at limb, lobes 2–3 mm, much shorter than tube;

wing and keel petals asymmetrically oblong-rhombic;

ovary velutinous;

ovules 12–16.

Legumes

ascending, straight, 4.5–6.5 × 0.4–0.6 cm, villosulous or appressed-pubescent.

ascending, straight to slightly arcuate, 4–5.5 × 0.4–0.6 cm, densely tomentose to villous.

Seeds

6–16, brown-black, oblong, 3.5–5 × 2.5–3 mm, beaked.

7–12, olive brown, elliptic, 3–3.5 × 1.8–2 mm, beaked.

2n

= 18.

Thermopsis montana

Thermopsis villosa

Phenology Flowering May–Jun(–Jul).
Habitat Open areas of deciduous oak woodlands.
Elevation 1000–1600 m. (3300–5200 ft.)
Distribution
from USDA
North America
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; CT; GA; MA; MD; ME; NC; NH; NJ; NY; PA; SC; TN; VA; VT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

The strictly erect fruits distinguish Thermopsis montana from T. gracilis and from the superficially similar T. divaricarpa. Intermediate populations and possible hybrids are discussed under T. divaricarpa by C. J. Chen et al. (1994).

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

Thermopsis villosa is a distinctive, stiffly erect species of the southern Appalachian ridges and upper valleys. Locally naturalized populations occur where the species has been cultivated farther north.

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

Key
1. Herbs 2–7 dm, appressed-pubescent to thinly villous; stems solitary or clustered, few-branched, from woody rootstock or rhizomes; leaflet blades not conspicuously net-veined abaxially; floral bracts elliptic to widely ovate.
var. montana
1. Herbs 5–8(–10) dm, glabrate to sparsely appressed-pubescent; stems clustered, several-branched, from woody rootstock; leaflet blades conspicuously net-veined abaxially; floral bracts narrowly elliptic.
var. ovata
Source FNA vol. 11. FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Thermopsis Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Thermopsis
Sibling taxa
T. californica, T. divaricarpa, T. fraxinifolia, T. gracilis, T. macrophylla, T. mollis, T. rhombifolia, T. robusta, T. villosa
T. californica, T. divaricarpa, T. fraxinifolia, T. gracilis, T. macrophylla, T. mollis, T. montana, T. rhombifolia, T. robusta
Subordinate taxa
T. montana var. montana, T. montana var. ovata
Synonyms T. rhombifolia var. montana Sophora villosa, Baptisia villosa, T. caroliniana
Name authority Nuttall in J. Torrey and A. Gray: Fl. N. Amer. 1: 388. (1840) (Walter) Fernald & B. G. Schubert: Rhodora 50: 201. (1948)
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