Pediomelum argophyllum (Silver-Leaf Psoralea) - photos and description
Two plants side-by-side.
General: Upright plant with a branching growth
habit. Leaves and stem tomentose with white hairs, giving the plant a
distinctly silvery-grey appearance.
In fall, the plant's stem breaks off at ground level, and the
plant blows around like a tumbleweed.
Flowers: Flowers in terminal and axillary spikes, are purple-blue and white. We measured individual flowers at 8 mm in length.
Leaves: Leaves alternate, palmate comprised of 3 to 5 obovate leaflets, a leaflet measured at 3 cm long and 1 cm wide.
Height: Height listed in Budd's Flora to 60 cm. Plant in above photo was 60 cm tall.
Habitat: Grassland in the prairies and parklands.
Abundance: Common.
Origin: Native.
Synonym: Listed in some of the guides we use as Psoralea argophylla.
When and where photographed: Took the above photos July 12th, prairie hills of the Qu'Appelle Valley, 35 km north of Regina, SK, and, July 30th, stabilized sand dune habitat, White Butte, about 20 km east of our home in Regina, SK.