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Friday - June 08, 2012

From: Abilene, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Plant Identification of plant similar to Oxytropis campestris
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

This plant was found in Breckenridge Texas. Yellow flowers like Oxytropis campestris, yet it is not supposed to be in Texas. Is this possible? Soil is gravelly, sandy and yellow clay. sorry no photo. Is there another legume similar to this one native to Texas? Looks like Fabaceae genus. Thanks!

ANSWER:

I couldn't find any members of the Family Fabaceae (Pea Family) in Stephens County that looked very much like Oxytropis campestris (Field locoweed), but I did find four Fabaceae in nearby counties that look something like O. campestris and I also found another plant that resembles it in the Family Fumariaceae (Fumitory Family) in nearby counties.

FABACEAE

Dalea hallii (Hall's prairie clover) in Hood County.

Sophora nuttalliana (Silky sophora) occurs in Clay County.

Astragalus distortus (Ozark milkvetch) occurs in Tarrant County.

Astragalus racemosus (Cream milkvetch) occurs in Wichita and Knox counties.

FUMARIACEAE

Corydalis curvisiliqua (Curvepod) in Jack and Shackleford counties.

If you would like to see the species in the Family Fabaceae that occur in Stephens County in the USDA Plants Database, click on "Advanced Search" in the side bar. On the "Advanced Search" page choose "Texas:Stephens" from "County Distribution" under 1. Distribution. Then, scroll down to 2. Taxonomy. Beside "National Common Name" check "Display". Scroll down to "Family" and choose "Fabaceae" and then check "Display". The scientific names will be displayed automatically. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on "Display Results" in the yellow box. This will give you a list of plants in the Family Fabaceae that have been reported from Stephens County, Texas. Depending on how thoroughly the county has been surveyed, this may or may not include most of the members of the family that you could find in Stephens County.

From the Image Gallery

Hall's prairie clover
Dalea hallii

Silky sophora
Sophora nuttalliana

Ozark milkvetch
Astragalus distortus

Cream milkvetch
Astragalus racemosus

Curvepod fumewort
Corydalis curvisiliqua