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Sophora stenophylla

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sophora stenophylla
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Genus: Sophora
Species:
S. stenophylla
Binomial name
Sophora stenophylla

Sophora stenophylla, the fringeleaf necklacepod,[1] or silvery sophora, is a perennial plant in the legume family (Fabaceae) found in the Colorado Plateau and Canyonlands region of the southwestern United States.[2]: 160 

Description

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Growth pattern

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It is a perennial plant that grows 4 to 16 inches (100 to 410 mm) tall. Its lacy leaves and blue to purple flowers make it very distinctive in its communities. It spreads by underground roots.[3]

Leaves and stems

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It has alternate, lacy, compound pinnate leaves with linear leaflets that are covered in dense, soft, and silvery hairs.

Inflorescence and fruit

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It blooms from April to May.[2]: 160  The terminal stalks bear 12–39 blue to purple, pea-shaped flowers. Seed pods have short, stiff hairs and 1–5 seeds.

Habitat and range

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It can be found in sandy soils in blackbrush scrub, pinyon-juniper woodland, and ponderosa pine forest communities in southern Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico.

Ecological and human interactions

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Its foliage and seeds are toxic to livestock in large amounts.

References

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  1. ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "​Sophora stenophylla​". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
  2. ^ a b Canyon Country Wildflowers, Damian Fagan, 2nd ed., 2012, Morris Bush Publishing, LLC. in cooperation with Canyonlands Natural History Association, ISBN 978-0-7627-7013-7
  3. ^ "Southwest Colorado Wildflowers, Sophora stenophylla". Archived from the original on 2013-06-02. Retrieved 2014-09-26.