''Orbexilum onobrychis'', commonly called French-grass or lanceleaf scurfpea,
is a species of flowering plant in the legume family (
). It is native to the eastern
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
where its range is concentrated in the
Midwest
The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...
and
Upper South
The Upland South and Upper South are two overlapping cultural and geographic subregions in the inland part of the Southern and lower Midwestern United States. They differ from the Deep South and Atlantic coastal plain by terrain, history, econom ...
.
Its natural habitat is primarily prairies and riverbanks, typically in mesic or wet areas.
[French grass (''Orbexilum onobrychis'')]
Illinois Wildflowers It is an uncommon species, and can be found in high-quality prairie remnants as well as more disturbed areas.[ Its flowers are pale blue or purple, and produced in racemes. Bloom time is from late spring to early summer.][ Its fruits are beans, which are 6–8 mm long and distinctively warty.
The caterpillars of the rare moth '' Hystrichophora loricana'' are known to use ''Orbexilum onobrychis'' as their exclusive foodplant.]
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q21326608
onobrychis
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''Onobrychis'', the sainfoins, are a genus of Eurasian perennial herbaceous plants of the legume family (Fabaceae). Including doubtfully distinct species and provisionally accepted taxa, about 150 species are presently known. The Flora ...