''Psoralidium tenuiflorum'', the slimflower scurfpea, is a perennial in the pea family. It is about tall and has a lot of leaves on top. Its leaves can reach a length of . This flower can be found mainly in the central and southwestern U.S. This plant was first described by the German-American botanist Frederick Traugott Pursh who gave it the name ''Psoralea tenuiflora''. It was later transferred to the genus ''

Psoralidium ''Psoralidium'', scurf-pea, or scurfy pea is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae The Faboideae are a subfamily of the flowering plant family Fabaceae or Leguminosae. An acceptabl ...

'' by the American botanist

Per Axel Rydberg Per Axel Rydberg (July 6, 1860 – July 25, 1931) was a Swedish-born, American botanist who was the first curator of the New York Botanical Garden Herbarium. Biography Per Axel Rydberg was born in Odh, Västergötland, Sweden and emigrated to t ...

, becoming ''Psoralidium tenuiflorum''. In 2009, A.N. Egan and J. Reveal proposed placing it in the genus ''

Pediomelum ''Pediomelum'' is a genus of legumes known as Indian breadroots. These are glandular perennial plants with palmately-arranged leaves. They have a main erect stem with inflorescences of blue or purple flowers and produce hairy legume pods contain ...

'', making it ''Pediomelum tenuiflorum'', however, this is not accepted by all taxonomists.

Preferred habitat

A hardy plant that prefers semi-desert, sandy habitats, scrubland, and woodland, ''Psoralidium tenuiflorum'' is resistant to drought because of its long taproot.

Description

''Psoralidium tenuiflorum'' is a much-branched, herbaceous perennial plant growing to a height of . The slender stems are grayish-green and bear compound leaves with either three, or four to five leaflets. Short racemes of purplish pea-flowers grow at intervals. The flowers are followed by short cylindrical pods, each bearing a single seed.

Distribution

This plant can be found in the central and southwestern states of the U.S., including Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Ecology

The flowers of ''Psoralidium tenuiflorum'' are attractive to bees and are visited by such bees as ''

Svastra obliqua ''Svastra obliqua'', the sunflower bee, is a species of long-horned bee in the family Apidae Apidae is the largest family within the superfamily Apoidea, containing at least 5700 species of bees. The family includes some of the most commonly ...

'', '' Colletes willistoni'', and '' Calliopsis andreniformis''. The leaf beetle '' Luperosoma parallelum'' and grasshoppers such as ''

Melanoplus femurrubrum ''Melanoplus femurrubrum'', the red-legged grasshopper, is a species of grasshopper belonging to the genus '' Melanoplus''. It is one of the most common grasshoppers found in Mexico, the United States, and Canada. This grasshopper is frequently u ...

'', ''

Melanoplus foedus ''Melanoplus foedus'', the striped sand grasshopper, is a species of spur-throated grasshopper in the family Acrididae. It is found in North America. Subspecies These three subspecies belong to the species ''Melanoplus foedus'': * ''Melanoplus ...

'', and '' Melanoplus packardii'' feed on the leaves, and the larvae of the moth '' Schinia jaguarina'' feed on the seed pods.

Uses

There are many traditional uses for this plant. For example, its root is edible either raw or cooked and can also be ground up and used to thicken soups, or mixed with cereals to make bread. The plant can also be used as an ingredient in an alcoholic drink derived from Agave. In traditional medicine, it is used as a treatment for headaches, the flu, and tuberculosis. These treatments involve infusing the roots in a drink or smoking the leaves. In addition, the stems can be used to make a garland to substitute for a sun hat on hot days, and the stems have been used as a fumigant to keep mosquitoes at bay. The

Zuni people The Zuni ( zun, A:shiwi; formerly spelled ''Zuñi'') are Native American Pueblo peoples native to the Zuni River valley. The Zuni are a Federally recognized tribe and most live in the Pueblo of Zuni on the Zuni River, a tributary of the Lit ...

apply a poultice of moistened leaves to any body part for purification. Rocky Mountain bee plant, since its seeds germinate well in disturbed soils and because of aforementioned benefits associated with pollinator attraction, is useful in Reclamation seed mixes.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q16757952 Psoraleeae Flora of the Southwestern United States Plants used in traditional Native American medicine Plants described in 1813 Taxa named by Frederick Traugott Pursh