''Pediomelum hypogaeum'' (also known as ''Psoralea hypogaea'') is a
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 also known as the little Indian breadroot or subterranean Indian breadroot. It is found on the black soil prairies in
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
.
Growth
It has an
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 ...
on stems 5-6 centimeters long, separate from the leaves, arising from a subterranean stem and deep carrot-shaped root that is 3–7 cm long. The long
petioled leaves are
palmate
The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular o ...
ly divided into 5 linear-elliptic leaflets that are 3-5 centimeters long. The flowers, borne in condensed spikes separate from the leaves, are purple and pea-like, and have a surprisingly strong scent, reminiscent of lemon furniture polish. The species has edible
tuberous root
Tubers are a type of enlarged structure used as storage organs for nutrients in some plants. They are used for the plant's perennation (survival of the winter or dry months), to provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growing ...
s, high in
protein
Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respo ...
.
References
* Delena Tull (1987), ''Edible and Useful Plants of Texas and the Southwest'', pgs 86-87
External links
*United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service.
PLANTS Profile: Pediomelum hypogaeum...subterranean Indian breadroot*Texas A&M Bioinformatics Working Group
Texas Endemics: Distribution of Pediomelum hypogaeum var. scaposum
Psoraleeae
Herbs
Root vegetables
{{Faboideae-stub