About Parryella filifolia Torr. & A.Gray
Parryella filifolia, commonly known as common dunebroom, is a species of flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae, and is part of the Faboideae subfamily. It is the only species that makes up the entire genus Parryella. This species is native to the US states of Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico.
Members of the Hopi tribe sometimes used ashes from this plant during the maize nixtamalization process. The ashes helped retain the blue color of cornmeal that was used to make piki bread. The plant's beans were also used as a remedy for toothaches.
The genus name Parryella honors Charles Christopher Parry (1823–1890), a British-American botanist and mountaineer. Both the genus Parryella and the species Parryella filifolia were first described and circumscribed by John Torrey and Asa Gray in 1868. This publication appeared in Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts, volume 7, on page 397.
