Oxytropis lambertii commonly known as purple locoweed,[3] Colorado locoweed,[4] Lambert's crazy weed,[5] or Lambert’s Locoweed[6] is a species of flowering plant in the legume family.
| Oxytropis lambertii | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Faboideae |
| Genus: | Oxytropis |
| Species: | O. lambertii
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| Binomial name | |
| Oxytropis lambertii | |
| Varieties[2] | |
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| Synonyms[2] | |
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Distribution
editIt is native to grasslands in the Canadian Prairie of central Canada and in the mid-west and Great Plains of the United States from Texas to Manitoba and west to Arizona and Montana.[7][3]
Description
editOxytropis lambertii is a perennial herb producing a patch of basal leaves around the root crown, and several showy erect inflorescences. The leaf is compound with several silvery-green leaflets. The inflorescence produces several flowers, each borne in a tubular purple or pinkish calyx of sepals covered thinly in silver hairs. The pealike flower corolla is reddish or bluish purple with a lighter patch at the base of the banner. The fruit is a cylindrical legume pod.
Toxic
editThe Oxytropis lambertii plant is one of the locoweeds most frequently implicated in livestock poisoning.[8] The toxin is called swainsonine. Research suggests that the plant itself may not be toxic, but becomes toxic when inhabited by endophytic fungi of the genus Embellisia, which produce swainsonine.[9]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ NatureServe (2024). "Oxytropis lambertii". Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
- ^ a b "Oxytropis lambertii Pursh". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
- ^ a b USDA, NRCS. (2023). "Oxytropis lambertii Pursh". The PLANTS Database. Greensboro, NC USA.: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
- ^ Crossley, John. "Oxytropis Lambertii, Purple Locoweed". The American Southwest. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
- ^ "Purple locoweed, Lambert's crazy weed". Guide to Poisonous Plants. Colorado State University. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
- ^ Fox, III, William E.; Allred, Kelly W.; Roalson, Eric H. "A Guide to the Common Locoweeds and Milkvetches of New Mexico". Cooperative Extension Service (CES) Publications. New Mexico State University. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
- ^ USGS. Native Wildflowers of the North Dakota Grasslands
- ^ Ralphs, M. H., et al. (2002). Distribution of locoweed toxin swainsonine in populations of Oxytropis lambertii. J Chem Ecol 28:4 701-7.
- ^ McLain-Romero, J., et al. (2004). The toxicosis of Embellisia fungi from locoweed (Oxytropis lambertii) is similar to locoweed toxicosis in rats. J Anim Sci 82 2169-74.
External links
edit
Media related to Oxytropis lambertii at Wikimedia Commons
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