Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Fabids: Fabales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Orbexilum psoralioides
FAMILY
Fabaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Learn more about Eastern Sampson's Snakeroot from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Orbexilum pedunculatum var. psoralioides
FAMILY
Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Native & naturalized Leguminosae (Fabaceae) of the US (Isely, 1998)
Orbexilum pedunculatum var. gracile
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 098-19-004a:
Psoralea psoralioides var. psoralioides FAMILY Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Orbexilum gracile
COMMON NAME:
Eastern Sampson's-snakeroot
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmoppsoralioides_scots1
May Williamsburg County SC
Flowers atop a long stalk. Leaves sparse and well-spaced on stem, per Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region (Sorrie, 2011).
)
Will Stuart wil_opedunculatumpsora750
May Scotland County NC
North Carolina Sandhills Gamelands
Flowers pea-shaped, in dense narrow clusters that look like inverted cones, per Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region (Sorrie, 2011).
)
Will Stuart wil_opedunculatumpsora757
May Scotland County NC
North Carolina Sandhills Gamelands
)
Will Stuart wilopedunculatumpsora750b
May Scotland County NC
North Carolina Sandhills Gamelands
Flowers subtended by 6-10mm long bracts with abruptly caudate, 3-5mm long tips, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Orbexilum psoralioides
FAMILY
Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Orbexilum pedunculatum var. psoralioides
FAMILY
Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Native & naturalized Leguminosae (Fabaceae) of the US (Isely, 1998)
Orbexilum pedunculatum var. gracile
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 098-19-004a:
Psoralea psoralioides var. psoralioides
FAMILY
Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Orbexilum gracile
2692
Forb
Perennial
Habitat: Longleaf pine savannas, loamy longleaf pine sandhills, open woodlands, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common in Coastal Plain (uncommon in Carolina Piedmont) (rare elsewhere in GA-NC-SC)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
LEAVES:
Odd-pinnately compound: 3 leaflets
Mostly alternate
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Bluish-violet
Bilaterally symmetrical
5-lobed persistant calyx
5-parted papilionaceous corolla
10(9) stamens
Superior ovary
Flowers in spikelike racemes
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Legume
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p124
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p346
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p341
- Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region (Sorrie, 2011) p210
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".