Shrubs lemon-scented, 5–16 dm. Stems pliant, purplish, turning gray with age, widely branched. Leaves narrowly lanceolate, 30–170 × 8–40 mm; leaflet blades 4–16(–20) × 0.3–1.5 mm, mar­gins revolute, plane, or concave. Flowers: calyx shal­lowly lobed, 2–3.8 × 1–2 mm, glandular-punctate, lobes green with yellow glands, rounded or acute; stamens conspicuously exserted beyond hypan­thium, unequal. Legumes 4–8 × 1.5–3 mm, beaked, style-base persistent, prominently dotted with red or orange glands. 2n = 20.

Phenology: Flowering early–late summer.
Habitat: Sand dunes, bluffs, talus, rock ledges.
Elevation: 1400–2000 m.

Distribution

• Generated Map
• Legacy Map

Ariz., Colo., N.Mex., Utah.

Discussion

Parryella filifolia, a broomlike shrub, is restricted to the Colorado Plateau of the western United States. The foliage varies in morphology from the southern to the northern part of its range. Plants in Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah are microphyllous with revolute leaves; in Arizona, the leaflets are larger and concavely folded. No attempt has been made to separate these groups taxonomically.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.