PEA FAMILY 185 



1. Flowers white 



a. Spike of flowers densely silky-hairy P. compdctus 



b. Spike of flowers smooth ; leaflets linear-oblong 



to spatulate or obovate P. cdndidus 



2. Flowers rose-pink, rarely white 



a. Leaflets 3-5, linear; plants smooth or sparsely 



hairy P. pur pur ens 



b. Leaflets 7-17, linear-oblong to oblanceolate ; 



plants densely hairy P. villdsus 



Psoralea Linne 1753 Psoralea 



(Gr. psoraleos, scabby, from the dotted leaves) 



PL 28, fig. 4. 



Sepals 5, equal or the lower longest, united into a bell-shaped calyx, 

 petals 5, white to blue, stamens 10, 9 or all united, pod ovoid, not splitting, 

 1-seeded; flowers in spikes or racemes; leaves digitate, of 1-5 leaflets; an- 

 nual or perennial. 



1. Flowers 4-8 mm. long, in racemes or open spikes; 

 root not tuberous ;. stems 1-4 ft. high 



a. Plants densely silvery-silky ; flowers in open 



spikes 

 ^1) Leaflets oblong to obovate; one calyx lobe 



much the longest P. argophylla 



{2) Leaflets linear to oblanceolate; calyx lobes 



nearly equal P. digitdta 



b. Plants green or greenish, smooth or hairy ; 



flowers in racemes or dense spikes 



( 1 ) Plants smooth or nearly so ; spikes short 



and dense ; pods nearly round P. lanceoldta 



(2) Plants finely gray-hairy; flowers in race- 



mes ; pods ovoid to lance-ovate 



(a) Leatlets oblong to ovate or obovate P. tenuitlora 



(b) Leaflets narrowly linear P. linear i folia 

 2 Flowers 10-16 mm. long, in dense spikes ; root 



tuberous ; stems mostly a foot or less high 

 a. Plants with long spreading hairs 



(1) Stemless or nearly so; leaflets linear to 



oblong P. hypogaea 



(2) Stems 4-15 in. high; leaflets spatulate to 



obovate P. esculent a 



