Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses

PRINCE'S PLUME

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Stanleya pinnata (Pursh ) Britton

Gove County, Kansas

Perennial

Height: 1-5 feet

Family: Brassicaceae - Mustard Family

Flowering Period: April, May, June, July, August

Stems:

Mostly erect, several to many, usually branched above.

Leaves:

Alternate, simple, stalked, narrowly oblanceolate to ovate, 2 to 4.75 inches long, 1.5 to 2 inches wide, pale green, thick, mostly glabrous, waxy; margins entire or rarely pinnately cleft; basal leaves absent.

Inflorescences:

Racemes, dense, plume-like, 4-14 inches long, terminal, elongating in fruit.

Flowers:

Sepals 4, linear-oblong, yellow, spreading; petals 4, about 1/2 inch long, hairy on inner face, sulfur yellow, claw brownish; stamens 6, nearly equal, extending beyond petals.

Fruits:

Pods, linear, 1-3 inches long, nearly circular in cross-section, on slender stalks 1/2 to 1 inch long, spreading or curving downward; seeds oblong, wingless.

Habitat:

Dry hills, plains, and valleys.

Distribution:

West 2/5 of Kansas.

Toxicity:

Prince's plume absorbs selenium from the soil. It is toxic to livestock, but they rarely eat it unless other forage is unavailable. Only a small amount of the plant can cause poisoning. Symptoms of selenium poisoning include weight loss, vision impairment, chewing of metallic objects, aimless wandering, and pushing forward against solid objects.

Uses:

Native Americans applied a poultice of mashed root for throat and rheumatic pain, toothaches, and earaches.

Comments:

Prince's plume sometimes is called the "sentinel of the plains".

Prince's plume flowers