Sophora stenophylla
| Sophora stenophylla | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific 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
[edit]Growth pattern
[edit]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
[edit]It has alternate, lacy, compound pinnate leaves with linear leaflets that are covered in dense, soft, and silvery hairs.
Inflorescence and fruit
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]Its foliage and seeds are toxic to livestock in large amounts.
References
[edit]- ^ NRCS. "Sophora stenophylla". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 21 November 2015.
- ^ 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
- ^ "Southwest Colorado Wildflowers, Sophora stenophylla". Archived from the original on 2013-06-02. Retrieved 2014-09-26.