Indian Breadroot

This is a plant that I rarely come across, but I did see it yesterday, 10 May 2016, when I went on a botany walk with friends. Our local walk was on the Upper Plateau at Edworthy Park. The plant was growing in the usual place where we have seen it for a few years.

We were horrified at how dry everywhere was - even the grass was 'dead'. This is an off-leash dog area and the amount of wear and tear is so obvious. Also, plants that were in bloom were much shorter than they should be. The whole of Alberta is a tinder box, waiting to burst into flames. We so desperately need rain, and a lot of it - though preferably, only at night : ) The ongoing massive fire in and around Fort McMurray up north shows what can happen when everywhere is this dangerously dry.

Indian Breadroot, a rare, native plant, grows from Alberta to Manitoba south to New Mexico, Arkansas. This species is known locally as Large Indian Breadroot. The shift from Psoralea to Pediomelum is an example of a recent trend of renaming North American genera and species. Belongs to the Fabaceae family and blooms June-July.

www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/potd/2006/11/pediomelum_escule...