Global InformationOrbexilum onobrychis information
| Orbexilum onobrychis | |
|---|---|
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Conservation status
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 Secure (NatureServe) | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Faboideae |
| Tribe: | Psoraleeae |
| Genus: | Orbexilum |
| Species: | O. onobrychis
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| Binomial name | |
| Orbexilum onobrychis (Nutt.) Rydb.
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| Synonyms | |
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Psoralea onobrychis | |
Orbexilum onobrychis, commonly called French-grass[1] or lanceleaf scurfpea,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the legume family (Fabaceae). It is native to the eastern United States where its range is concentrated in the Midwest and Upper South.[3] Its natural habitat is primarily prairies and riverbanks, typically in mesic or wet areas.[2][4] It is an uncommon species, and can be found in high-quality prairie remnants as well as more disturbed areas.[4][5]
It is a rhizomatous perennial that forms large colonies. It has pinnately trifoliate leaves, with large lanceolate leaflets.[5] Its flowers are pale blue or purple, and produced in racemes. Bloom time is from late spring to early summer.[4] Its fruits are beans, which are 6–8 mm long and distinctively warty.
The caterpillars of the rare moth Hystrichophora loricana are known to use Orbexilum onobrychis as their exclusive foodplant.[6]
- ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Orbexilum onobrychis". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
- ^ a b Alan Weakley (2015). "Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States".
- ^ "Orbexilum onobrychis". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
- ^ a b c French grass (Orbexilum onobrychis) Illinois Wildflowers
- ^ a b Yatskievych, George (2013). Flora of Missouri, Volume 3. Missouri Botanical Garden Press. pp. 113–114.
- ^ "Hystrichophora loricana". NatureServe. Retrieved 2018-10-01.