Pediomelum castoreum (S.Watson) Rydb.

Nomenclature

Pediomelum castoreum, (S.Watson) Rydb., is a flowering plant species in the legume family, with the common names beaver Indian breadroot and beaver dam breadroot.

Native Range

This species is native to the desert regions around where California, Nevada, and Arizona meet.

Habitat

It grows in local habitat there, including disturbed areas.

Growth Form

It is a perennial herb that has no stem or only a short stem that lies mostly underground, so most of the plant stays at ground level.

Leaf Structure

Its leaves are compound; each leaf is made up of five or six oval leaflets that may grow over 4 centimeters long.

Petiole Structure

Each leaf grows from a long petiole.

Inflorescence and Flowers

The inflorescence is a raceme holding several blue or purple pealike flowers, each roughly one centimeter long.

Fruit Characteristics

The fruit is a hairy oval legume pod, tipped with a long, curved beak.

Seed Characteristics

The pod holds ridged gray seeds, each about 6 millimeters long.