''Hoffmannseggia glauca'' is a dicot found in the legume family,

Fabaceae The Fabaceae or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomenc ...

. Its common names include Indian rushpea, hog potato, and pig nut. It is a

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

native which prefers alkaline desert flats,

creosote bush ''Larrea tridentata'', called creosote bush and greasewood as a plant, chaparral as a medicinal herb, and ''gobernadora'' (Spanish language, Spanish for "governess") in Mexico, due to its ability to secure more water by inhibiting the growth of n ...

communities, and disturbed areas. It prefers elevations of less than . ''Hoffmannseggia glauca'' is found outside California in Western Nevada, Texas, Mexico and South America. In California ''H. glauca'' may be found in the

San Joaquin Valley The San Joaquin Valley ( ; es, Valle de San Joaquín) is the area of the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California that lies south of the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta and is drained by the San Joaquin River. It comprises seven c ...

, Southern Coastal Ranges, and Western

Transverse Ranges The Transverse Ranges are a group of mountain ranges of southern California, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region in North America. The Transverse Ranges begin at the southern end of the California Coast Ranges and lie within Santa B ...

Description

''Hoffmannseggia glauca'' is an erect

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

herb and can measure up to 30 cm tall. Branches are slender, growing out from the base of the plant, and have stalked glands. The foliage is composed of compound leaves with primary and secondary leaflets. Primary leaflets (5–20 mm) are odd-pinnate while secondary leaflets (4–6 mm) are even-pinnate. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

measures 5–15 cm and is glandular. Flowers are orange-red with spreading petals and are produced between the months of April and June. The fruit that develops is 1.5–4 cm, glandular, curved, and short-stalked. The fruit may or may not be deciduous. The

USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...

indicates that ''Hoffmannseggia glauca'' is considered a

noxious weed A noxious weed, harmful weed or injurious weed is a weed that has been designated by an agricultural or other governing authority as a plant that is injurious to agricultural or horticultural crops, natural habitats or ecosystems, or humans or liv ...

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

Uses

The Pima, Apache, Cocopa, and Pueblo ate the tubers or bulbs raw, boiled or roasted.

References

USDA Plants Profile for ''Hoffmannseggia glauca''Jepson Flora Project - ''Hoffmannseggia glauca''Calflora: ''Hoffmannseggia glauca'' (''Hoffmanseggia'', Indian rushpea, hog potato)
* {{Taxonbar, from=Q5876722 Caesalpinieae Flora of California Flora of Argentina Flora of Arizona Flora of Bolivia Flora of Mexico Flora of Nevada Flora of New Mexico Flora of Peru Flora of the California desert regions Flora of the Sonoran Deserts Natural history of the Colorado Desert Natural history of the Mojave Desert Flora of Northwestern Mexico Flora of Northeastern Mexico Flora of Southwestern Mexico Flora of Southeastern Mexico Flora without expected TNC conservation status