Parosella lanata

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Parosella lanata
Light:Full Sun Part Shade
Moisture:Mesic
Soil pH:5.6-8.4
Height:2'
Native to:
Nitrogen Fixer
Edible Rating:PFAF Edibility Rating
Tea:Yes
Poisonous

Parosella lanata (common name: woolly parosella)

Propagation: Seed

Cultivation: We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy outdoors in Britain, though judging by its native range it should succeed outdoors at least in the milder areas of the country. There is some confusion over the correct name for this species, it could possibly be Psoralea lanata or Dalea lanata.

This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[1].

Range: Southern N. America - Kansas to Texas, Utah and New Mexico.

Habitat: Plains and prairies[2]. Gravelly or sandy soils in Texas[3].

Edibility: Root - raw[4][5]. The skin is scraped off and the root is eaten as a sweet[6].

Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.

Flower Type: Hermaphrodite

Links

References

  1. Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
  2. Britton, Nathaniel and Addison Brown. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1970.
  3. Diggs, George and Barney Lipscomb. Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas. Botanical Research Institute, 1999.
  4. Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
  5. Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
  6. Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.