Silver-leaf scurf-pea

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Silver-leaf scurf-pea inflorescence

Silver-leaf scurf-pea

Silver-leaf scurf-pea

Silver-leaf scurf-pea

Silver-leaf scurf-pea

Silver-leaf scurf-pea leaves

Silver-leaf scurf-pea leaf

Silver-leaf scurf-pea flowers

Silver-leaf scurf-pea

Silver-leaf scurf-pea

Morphology

Stem

Erect or ascending, 1 to several, widely spreading branches above, silvery white pubescent, often zigzag.

Leaves

Alternate, palmately compound, main stem leaves 4- or 5-foliolate, branch leaves 3-foliolate; stalks .5 to 2 inches long; leaflets elliptic to oval, .5 to 1.5 inches long, silky-white hairy.

Inflorescence

Spikes of whorls on stalks 1 to 4 inches long in upper leaf axils; whorls 2-8, well-separated, 2-8-flowered.

Flower

Small; calyces bell-shaped, 2-lipped, densely silky-hairy; corollas papilionaceous, dark blue, fade yellowish or brown.

Fruit

Pods, egg-shaped, beaked; seeds 1, kidney-shaped, smooth, brown.

Ecology

Habitat

Moist prairies, rocky hillsides, lowlands, stream valleys, and open woodlands.

Distribution

Throughout, more abundant in north 1/2 of Kansas.

Practical Information

Toxicity

Silver-leaf scurf-pea is poisonous but seldom is consumed by livestock.

Uses

Native Americans used the plant to treat fevers and fed the roots to tired horses.

Additional Notes

Synonyms

Alternative scientific names that have been used for this plant.