Orbexilum onobrychis

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Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Tribe: Psoraleeae
Genus: Orbexilum
Species:
O. onobrychis
Binomial name
Orbexilum onobrychis
Synonyms

Psoralea onobrychis

Orbexilum onobrychis, commonly called French-grass[1] or lanceleaf scurfpea,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the legume family (Fabaceae). It is native to the eastern United States where its range is concentrated in the Midwest and Upper South.[3] Its natural habitat is primarily prairies and riverbanks, typically in mesic or wet areas.[2][4] It is an uncommon species, and can be found in high-quality prairie remnants as well as more disturbed areas.[4][5]

It is a rhizomatous perennial that forms large colonies. It has pinnately trifoliate leaves, with large lanceolate leaflets.[5] Its flowers are pale blue or purple, and produced in racemes. Bloom time is from late spring to early summer.[4] Its fruits are beans, which are 6–8 mm long and distinctively warty.

The caterpillars of the rare moth Hystrichophora loricana are known to use Orbexilum onobrychis as their exclusive foodplant.[6]

References

  1. ↑ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Orbexilum onobrychis". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  2. 1 2 Alan Weakley (2015). "Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States".
  3. ↑ "Orbexilum onobrychis". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 French grass (Orbexilum onobrychis) Illinois Wildflowers
  5. 1 2 Yatskievych, George (2013). Flora of Missouri, Volume 3. Missouri Botanical Garden Press. pp. 113–114.
  6. ↑ "Hystrichophora loricana". NatureServe. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
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