Parosella lanata

Taxonomy and growth

Family

Leguminosae

Genus

Parosella

Life cycle

perennial

Height

0.6 m

Flower type

hermaphrodite

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Root - raw^[6][1]. The skin is scraped off and the root is eaten as a sweet^[2].

Ecology and functions

Environment

Range

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

Habitat

Plains and prairies^[4]. Gravelly or sandy soils in Texas^[5].

Light

full sun

Shade tolerance

light shade

Water

moderate

Soil textures

sandy, loamy, clay

Soil pH

acid, neutral, alkaline

Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil

No

Drought

intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

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^[3].

Related plants

• Acacia aneuraMulga Acacia
• Acacia coriaceaWiry Wattle
• Acacia cultriformisKnife-Leaf Wattle
• Acacia dealbataMimosa

References

1. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

   ↩

2. Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.

   ↩

3. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

   ↩

4. Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970-00-00 ISBN 0-486-22642-5

   ↩

5. Diggs, Jnr. G.M.; Lipscomb. B. L. & O'Kennon. R. J Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas Botanical Research Institute, Texas. 1999-00-00 http://artemis.austincollege.edu/acad/bio/gdiggs/NCTXpdf.htm

   • Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas
   ↩

6. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

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