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
| Sophora stenophylla | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Faboideae |
| Genus: | Sophora |
| Species: | S. stenophylla
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| Binomial name | |
| Sophora stenophylla | |
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
- ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Sophora stenophylla". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. 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.