Pickeringia montana
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| Pickeringia montana | ||||||||||||||||
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 P. m. ssp. montana
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| Pickeringia montana Nutt ex Torr Gray |
Pickeringia is a monotypic genus containing only the legume Pickeringia montana, which is known by the common name chaparral pea. It is sometimes called Montana chaparral pea, but this plant is found only in California. It is one of very few legumes native to the chaparral habitat. Its nitrogen-fixing ability helps it thrive in rocky, sandy soil. The plant is also well-suited to a landscape of hills, slopes, and recently-burned areas; its roots spread quickly and help anchor loose soil, preventing erosion. The chaparral pea rarely sprouts from seed. More often it sends up new stems from roots growing outward from the mother plant. It forms low, dense, thorny thickets of shiny dark green leaves. In spring and summer the plant bursts into blossom, covering the thickets with bright magenta flowers. It bears pods containing peas.
There are two subspecies of chaparral pea:
- Pickeringia montana subsp. montana is widespread in the state of California.
- Pickeringia montana subsp. tomentosa, sometimes called "woolly chaparral pea", is limited to the hills of southern California.
Genus Pickeringia was named after the naturalist Charles Pickering.
