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Aaron's rod, Blue Ridge false lupine

Habit Herbs 6–18 dm, glabrate (except racemes densely villous).
Stems

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

branches spreading at 45–60º, moderately zigzag.

Leaves

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

10–50-flowered, 15–50 cm;

flowers in whorls of 2 or 3 or scattered.

Peduncles

6–13 cm;

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

Pedicels

2–3 mm, densely villous.

Flowers

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

Seeds

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

2n

= 18.

Thermopsis villosa

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

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.)

Source FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Thermopsis
Sibling taxa
T. californica, T. divaricarpa, T. fraxinifolia, T. gracilis, T. macrophylla, T. mollis, T. montana, T. rhombifolia, T. robusta
Synonyms Sophora villosa, Baptisia villosa, T. caroliniana
Name authority (Walter) Fernald & B. G. Schubert: Rhodora 50: 201. (1948)
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