Stanleya pinnata
Stanleya pinnata is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known as desert prince's-plume.[1] It is a perennial herb or shrub native to North America.
| Stanleya pinnata | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Brassicales |
| Family: | Brassicaceae |
| Genus: | Stanleya |
| Species: | S. pinnata |
| Binomial name | |
| Stanleya pinnata | |
Distribution
The plant is native to the western Great Plains and western North America.[2]
It occurs in many types of open habitat, including deserts, chaparral, foothills, rocky cliffs, sagebrush, and prairie. It prefers alkali- and gypsum-rich soils.[3]
Description
Stanleya pinnata is a perennial herb or shrub producing several erect stems reaching up to about 1.5 metres (4+11⁄12 ft) in maximum height. The stems are unbranched,[4] hairless, often waxy in texture, and have woody bases. The leaves have fleshy blades up to 15 centimeters long by 5 wide which are divided into several long, narrow lobes. The blades are borne on petioles.
The top of the stem is occupied by a long inflorescence which is a dense raceme of many flowers. Each flower has four narrow yellowish sepals which open to reveal four bright yellow petals[4] each up to 2 cm long. The stamens protruding from the flower's center may approach 3 cm in length.
The fruit is a curving, wormlike silique up to 8 cm long.
Uses
It has been used as a Native American traditional medicinal plant and food source, including by the Hopi, Zuni, Paiute, Navajo, Kawaiisu, and Tewa peoples.[5]
Ecology
It is a larval host to both Becker's white and checkered white caterpillars.[6]
Some of the plant's amino acids use selenium from the soil in place of sulfur, making it highly toxic to animals.[4]
References
- USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Stanleya pinnata". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
- Flora of North America
- Houk, Rose. (1987). Wildflowers of the American West . Chronicle Books, San Francisco. ISBN 0-87701-424-8.
- Taylor, Ronald J. (1994) [1992]. Sagebrush Country: A Wildflower Sanctuary (rev. ed.). Missoula, MT: Mountain Press Pub. Co. p. 88. ISBN 0-87842-280-3. OCLC 25708726.
- University of Michigan at Dearborn: Native American Ethnobotany of Stanleya pinnata
- The Xerces Society (2016), Gardening for Butterflies: How You Can Attract and Protect Beautiful, Beneficial Insects, Timber Press.
External links
