Prince's plume

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Prince's plume

Prince's plume inflorescence

Prince's plume flowers

Prince's plume leaf

Prince's plume

Prince's plume

Prince's plume flower

Prince's plume

Prince's plume

Morphology

Stem

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.

Inflorescence

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

Flower

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.

Fruit

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.

Ecology

Habitat

Dry hills, plains, and valleys.

Distribution

West 2/5 of Kansas.

Practical Information

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.

Additional Notes