Scientific Family
Fabaceae
Synonyms
Psoralea floribunda, P.obtusifolia, P. tenuiflora, Psoralidium batesii
Other common names
slender-flowered scurf-pea
scurfpea
scurfy pea
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Perennial
Similar species
P. lanceolatum
Height
To 2 feet
Riparian
No
Stems erect, bushy-branching, stems and undersides of leaves with stiff straight hairs, gland-dotted, arising from long-creeping rhizomes.Â
Erect, bushy plant arising from long-creeping rhizomes. Leaves with short stiff hairs below, glandular-dotted, mostly with 3 leaflets, lower leaves often have 4 to 5 leaflets. Flower bluish-purple to purple. Seed pods ovoid, tapering to a beak.
Habitat
Dry slopes, plains, open pine forest, woodlands.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Montane Conifer Forest
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Low elevation
4000
High elevation
7500
Flower Characteristics
Slender, interrupted, unbranched flower cluster, 2 to 21 flowers, mostly 3 flowers per node; bracts somewhat lance-shaped; flowers bell-shaped to tubular, 1-1/2 to 2-3/4 inches long, purple to bluish-purple.
Flower color
Purple, bluish-purple
Flower shape
Irregular
Tubular
Yes
First bloom month
May
Last bloom month
September
Flower clusters
Rounded
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Leaves are mostly trifoliate (sometimes 4 to 5 leaflets), leaflets elliptic, oblong or lance-shaped with the broader part above the middle tapering to the base, dotted with glands.
Leaf type
Compound
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Round or oval
Leaf margin
Lobed
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Leaves & stems
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Smooth, gland-dotted, tipped by short straight beak.
Fruit type
Pod
Fruit color
Green, yellow, brown
1 seed per pod.