About Oxytropis splendens Douglas
Oxytropis splendens Douglas is a tufted plant with silvery, silky-hairy, leafless stems. When blooming, it produces dense spikes of rich lavender flowers that rise from a cluster of pinnately compound basal leaves. This plant has a 3-5 year lifespan, and blooms annually from late June to mid-August. It produces small brown seeds, and its flowers are preferred by many types of bumblebees. It is widely distributed from Alaska, Yukon, and the District of Mackenzie, through the mountains and foothills of Alberta, extending east to Lake Superior and south to southeastern British Columbia, Colorado, New Mexico, North Dakota, and northern Minnesota. It grows best in grassy slopes, open woods, clearings, gravelly river flats, banks, and roadsides. O. splendens is an early colonizer of disturbed gravel areas and unamended coal spoils. Its nitrogen-fixing properties and ability to quickly colonize poor soils make it well-suited for use in revegetation projects. This species is potentially toxic, because it contains toxic alkaloids and accumulates selenium.
