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Stanleya pinnata
Species of flowering plant From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Stanleya pinnata is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known as desert prince's-plume.[2] It is a perennial herb or shrub native to North America.
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Distribution
The plant is native to the western Great Plains and western North America.[3] It occurs in many types of open habitat, including deserts, chaparral, foothills, rocky cliffs, sagebrush, and prairie. It prefers alkali- and gypsum-rich soils.[4]
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,[5] hairless, often waxy in texture, and have woody bases. The leaves have fleshy blades up to 15 centimetres (5.9 in) long by 5 centimetres (2.0 in) 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[5] each up to 2 centimetres (0.79 in) 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 centimetres (3.1 in) long.
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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.[6]
Ecology
It is a larval host to both Becker's white and checkered white caterpillars.[7]
Some of the plant's amino acids use selenium from the soil in place of sulfur, making it highly toxic to animals.[5]
References
External links
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