White locoweed

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White locoweed inflorescences

White locoweed

White locoweed leaves

White locoweed

Morphology

Stem

Stemless

Leaves

Basal, odd-pinnately compound, 1.6 to 12 inches long; leaflets 7-25, opposite or scattered, narrowly lanceolate or elliptic to ovate-oblong, .2 to 1.6 inches long, 1/12 to 2.5 inch wide, silky-hairy; tip pointed or blunt; stalk 1/5 to 6 inches long; stipules 1/3 to 1 inch long, fused to stalk for 1/2 length or more.

Inflorescence

Raceme, 6-30-flowered; flowering stalk 2-12 inches long, silky-hairy.

Flower

Calyx tube bell-shaped, 1/3 to 1/2 inch long, with stiff, soft or spreading white or black hairs; calyx teeth 5, unequal, 1/12 to 1/5 inch long; corolla papilionaceous, white or cream, fading yellowish, keel tip often purple; banner 3/5 to 1 inch long, deeply lobed or notched; wings 3/5 to 4/5 inch long; keel 1/2 to 3/4 inch long; stamens 10, in two groups, enclosed in keel.

Fruit

Pod, erect, sessile, oblong, 2/5 to 1 inch long, 1/6 to 1/3 inch in diameter, silky-hairy or somewhat short-hairy; beak short; seeds 1/12 to 1/10 inch long, smooth, brown.

Ecology

Habitat

Rocky prairies, plains, hillsides, gravelly banks, open wooded hillsides.

Distribution

West 1/3 of Kansas.

Practical Information

Toxicity

Poisonous to livestock. Animals develop a preference for Oxytropis after consuming it and will seek it out. It is associated with neurologic problems with symptoms that include depression, weight loss, lack or coordination, and a stiff gait. Affected horses may become violent when restrained and sheep demonstrate a loss of their flocking instinct.

Uses

Native Americans applied an infusion of leaves to sores and used it to treat ear disorders. Children would sometimes make headresses from the stalks.

Additional Notes