PAPILIOJJACEAE 



Psor a lia nicrantha is a low, extremely glandular weedy herb 

 with long rhlzonatous perennial roots which occupies beds of almost 

 pure sand. It is not infrequent in sites of this kind in the south- 

 ern part of the Pocky Mountains from western Texas probably to 

 California, The plant is too low to constitute a windbreak of im- 

 portance. However, it is an excellent soil binder and probably 

 could bo used to advantage in stabilizing sand dunes. It is, how- 

 ever, quite unpalatable. In fact, it has been suspected of being 

 poisonous and as a result cannot be recommended for revegetation 

 work until it has been given a clear bill of health. 



There are several other Psoralias in the ".'est which are simi- 

 lar in growth habits to Ps or al ig micrantha. Most of them, however , 

 arc useless or nearly so for erosion control work and arc valueless 

 for forage. One Psoralia of a distinctly different type is P. 

 esculenta, which is a low, somewhat spreading perennial with a large 

 tuberous root which was formerly used extensively by the Indians for 

 food* This is confined in its natural distribution to southern 

 Arizona, southern Hew Mexico and western Texas. Since its spreading 

 habit makes it a fair soil binder, its acquaintance should be courted 

 in nursery practice. 



Am orpha occi denta l is and close relatives, are frequent but 

 not abundant throughout the west. They are sometimes called Indigo 

 bushes. Specimens from the Black Range in New Mexico are frequently 

 large shrubs or small trees. To date we have not tried the Anorphas 

 in any of our programs in the southwest but reports given at the 

 Colorado Springs Conference regarding the use of this group in 

 Regions Six, Seven and Nine are so favorable that nursery plantings 

 will be tried at a couple of the nurseries in Pegion Sight from seed 

 collected in the Black Range. The fruits and leaves of this plant 

 hare an odor similar to that of Par rye 1 1a filifolia, a decoction of 

 which is used by the Hop is bo repel bed bugs. If, as is reported, 

 Amorpha is resistant to jackrabbit and insect (including grasshoppers 

 attack, should it not be tested for substances which may prove use- 

 ful in man's fight to the finish with the insect world? 



The Amorpha s produce seed in abundance and production in the 

 nursery will doubtless prove easy. 



*Eysenhardtia orthocarpa, Kidnoywood, is a shrub or small tree 

 confined in our territory to extreme southern New Mexico and Arizona. 

 It, however, extends far south in Mexico and is widely distributed 

 in the Tropics. It is a leguminous tree with spikes of small white 

 flowers, very short pods and pinnate leaves. It is one of the finest 

 browse shrubs in the southwest and since it grows on dry, rocky sites 

 it is a worthwhile erosion, control plant. If you will refer to 

 Stand ley 1 s Trees and Shrubs of Mexico you will see that the account 



