PRINCE'S PLUME
File Size: 115 KB
 
Stanleya pinnata   (Pursh ) Britton
Gove County, Kansas
Perennial
Height: 1-5 feet
Family: Brassicaceae - Mustard Family
Flowering Period:   April, May, June, July, August
Stems: Mostly erect, several to many, usually branched above.
Leaves: Alternate, simple, stalked, narrowly oblanceolate to ovate, 2 to 4.75 inches long, 1.5 to 2 inches wide, pale green, thick, mostly glabrous, waxy; margins entire or rarely pinnately cleft; basal leaves absent.
Inflorescences: Racemes, dense, plume-like, 4-14 inches long, terminal, elongating in fruit.
Flowers: Sepals 4, linear-oblong, yellow, spreading; petals 4, about 1/2 inch long, hairy on inner face, sulfur yellow, claw brownish; stamens 6, nearly equal, extending beyond petals.
Fruits: Pods, linear, 1-3 inches long, nearly circular in cross-section, on slender stalks 1/2 to 1 inch long, spreading or curving downward; seeds oblong, wingless.
Habitat: Dry hills, plains, and valleys.
Distribution: West 2/5 of Kansas.
Toxicity: Prince's plume absorbs selenium from the soil. It is toxic to livestock, but they rarely eat it unless other forage is unavailable. Only a small amount of the plant can cause poisoning. Symptoms of selenium poisoning include weight loss, vision impairment, chewing of metallic objects, aimless wandering, and pushing forward against solid objects.
Uses: Native Americans applied a poultice of mashed root for throat and rheumatic pain, toothaches, and earaches.
Comments: Prince's plume sometimes is called the "sentinel of the plains".

Prince's plume flowers
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Gove County, Kansas
Prince's plume
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Gove County, Kansas
Prince's plume inflorescence
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Gove County, Kansas
Prince's plume
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Gove County, Kansas
Prince's plume flower
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Gove County, Kansas
Prince's plume leaf
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Gove County, Kansas
Prince's plume
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Gove County, Kansas
Prince's plume
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Gove County, Kansas