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

Sophora stenophylla
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
(unranked):
Angiosperms
(unranked):
Eudicots
(unranked):
Rosids
Order:
Fabales
Family:
Fabaceae
Genus:
Sophora
Species:
S. stenophylla
Binomial name
Sophora stenophylla

Description

Growth pattern

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

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

Inflorescence and fruit

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

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

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

References
  1. "Sophora stenophylla". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
  2. 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. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-06-02. Retrieved 2014-09-26.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)


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