Scientific Family
Fabaceae
Synonyms
Hoffmannseggia densiflora, Hoffmannseggia falcaria
Other common names
hogpotato
pignut
waxy rush-pea
shoestring weed
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
4 to 12 inches
Riparian
No
A low growing, weak-stemmed plant with twice compound leaves. It reproduces by seed or underground tubers and the tuberous roots can eventually forms large colonies.
Creeping rhizomes; several stems; twice compound leaves; herbage with occasional stalked reddish glands and sparse, short white hairs; stems pedicels and flowers with stalked glands; herbage, flowers and fruits without black glands.
Habitat
Desert and uplands. Also found in bare, disturbed areas.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Disturbed Areas
Desert Scrub
Low elevation
1000
High elevation
5000
Flower Characteristics
Flowers pea-like, up to 1 inch wide and have 5 spoon-shaped, red-spotted, glandular, yellow petals. Flowers are attached by short stems equal distances along a central stem.
Flower color
Yellow to reddish-yellow
Flower shape
Irregular
Tubular
No
First bloom month
March
Last bloom month
September
Flower clusters
Elongated
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
The leaves are twice compound with tiny, oval opposite leaflets. The stems are red and glandular. Leaves emerge at the base of the plant.
Leaf type
Compound
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Round or oval
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
None
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Curved pods like beans.
Fruit type
Pod
Fruit color
Green turning to brown
Dark reddish-brown seeds that are smooth and egg-shaped, up to 1/8 inch long.