''Orbexilum'', commonly called leather-root, is a genus of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...
s in the
legume
A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock f ...
family (
). They are native to North America, where they are found in the United States and Mexico, south to
Chiapas
Chiapas (; Tzotzil language, Tzotzil and Tzeltal language, Tzeltal: ''Chyapas'' ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas), is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, ...
.
This genus can be distinguished from other genera in the Psoraleeae by its "thick glabrous pod walls that are distinctively rugose and by
calyx that is scarcely accrescent."
Taxonomy
The genus was described by
Constantine Samuel Rafinesque
Constantine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz (; October 22, 1783September 18, 1840) was a French 19th-century polymath born near Constantinople in the Ottoman Empire and self-educated in France. He traveled as a young man in the United States, ultimat ...
in 1832, with the type species ''O. latifolia'', moved from ''
Psoralea
''Psoralea'' is a genus in the legume family (Fabaceae) with over 60 closely related species native to southern Africa. In South Africa they are commonly referred to as fountainbush (English); fonteinbos, bloukeur, or penwortel (Afrikaans); and u ...
''.
(''O. latifolia'' is now considered a
synonym
A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...
of ''O. onobrychis''.
) Rafinesque differentiated ''Orbexilum'' from ''Psoralea'' largely on the basis of features of the
calyx.
Species
''Orbexilum'' comprises the following species:
* ''
Orbexilum chiapasanum
''Orbexilum'', commonly called leather-root, is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family (Fabaceae). They are native to North America, where they are found in the United States and Mexico, south to Chiapas.
This genus can be distinguishe ...
''
B.L.Turner
* ''
Orbexilum lupinellus''
(Michx.) Isely[
* †'' Orbexilum macrophyllum'' (Rowlee) Rydb. – bigleaf scurfpea]
Notes
References
External links
USDA Plants Profile
*
*
Fabaceae genera
{{Faboideae-stub