Stanleya pinnata
| 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 | |
Stanleya pinnata is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known as desert princesplume.[1] It is native to North America.
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 (4.9 ft) in maximum height. The stems are 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 narrow yellowish sepals which open to reveal four bright yellow petals each up to 2 centimeters long. The stamens protruding from the flower's center may approach 3 centimeters in length.
The fruit is a curving, wormlike silique up to 8 centimeters 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.[4]
Ecology
It is a larval host to both Becker's white and checkered white caterpillars.[5]
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.
- ^ 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
- Brassicaceae
- Flora of the Southwestern United States
- Flora of the South-Central United States
- Flora of the Great Plains (North America)
- Flora of the United States
- Flora of California
- Flora of the Great Basin
- Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands
- Natural history of the Mojave Desert
- Plants used in Native American cuisine
- Plants used in traditional Native American medicine