About Zornia thymifolia Kunth
Zornia thymifolia Kunth is a much-branched perennial plant that grows slender stems which may be either hairy or hairless. This species has compound leaves that each contain only two leaflets; each leaflet is slenderly egg-shaped and reaches a maximum length of 1.5 cm (3⁄5 in). Its flowers are yellow with reddish stripes at their center. As a member of the Faboideae subfamily, the flowers have the characteristic papilionaceous shape. The most distinctive feature of Zornia thymifolia is a pair of green, egg-shaped, sharp-tipped, conspicuous bracts located beneath each flower. Each bract grows up to 10 mm (2⁄5 in) long. The bracts are flattened and pressed against one another; they hold the base of the flower between them, or protectively conceal the calyx containing the developing ovary after the flower's corolla has fallen off. Flowers and their accompanying bracts are arranged one above another on straight inflorescences, creating a unique, attractive pagoda shape. The legume fruits of this species are somewhat flattened, and typically develop four segments. The fruits are yellowish or greenish, and are usually hairless, though this is not always the case. Zornia thymifolia is distributed across the Mexican Plateau of central Mexico, with a separate disjunct population ranging from Honduras south to Colombia. In the central Mexican state of Querétaro, this species grows in grassy areas and scrubland.
