Herbs acaulescent or sub­acaulescent, 2–9 cm, mostly glan­dular and strigose through­out. Stems short-erect, rarely branched (when branched then branches subtended by cata­phylls), leaves clustered; pseudoscapes to 2.5 cm; cata­phylls 6–11 mm, glabrous. Leaves palmately 3(–5)-foliolate; stipules persistent, obovate to oval, 4–10 × 2.5–6 mm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent; petiole not enlarged but jointed basally, slightly canaliculate, 13–70 mm; petiolules 0.5–1 mm; leaflet blades obovate, 0.9–2.5 × 0.7–2.2 cm, base cuneate or attenuate, apex rounded or emarginate, surfaces abaxially gray-green and evenly strigose, adaxially yellow-green and strongly white-strigose along veins. Peduncles 2–4.5 cm, shorter than subtending petiole, pubescent. Inflorescences disjointing in age at peduncle base, globose; rachis 0.5–8.5 cm, elongating through fruiting, nodes (1 or)2–6, 3 flowers per node, internodes 1–3 mm; bracts tardily deciduous or persistent, oblanceolate to elliptic, 4–8 × 3–4 mm, apex abruptly acuminate, short-pubescent. Pedicels 2–5 mm. Flowers 8–12.5 mm; calyx broadly gibbous-campanulate in fruit, 10–11.5 mm abaxially, 8–8.5 mm adaxially, eglandular or sparsely glandular, pubescent; tube 3.3–4.5 mm; lobes lanceolate or oblanceolate, abaxial 4–6.5 × 2–3.5 mm, adaxial 3–5 × 1–1.5 mm; corolla ochroleucous, wings and keel suf­fused purple or purple, banner broadly orbiculate to obo­vate, (8.5–)10–14 × 5.5–7.5 mm with claw 2.5–3 mm, wings 9–11 × 2.5–3 mm with claw 3.5–4 mm, keel 8–8.5 × 2.5–3 mm with claw 3–4 mm; filaments 7–8 mm; anthers broadly elliptic, 0.4 mm; ovary pubescent api­cally, style pubescent basally. Legumes ellipsoid, 6–7 × 4–4.5 mm, eglandular, strigose, beak 3–4 mm, not exserted beyond calyx. Seed gray-green to brown, obovoid, 4.5–5 × 2.5–3 mm, shiny.

Phenology: Flowering spring–summer.
Habitat: Barren outcrops in open pine-juniper woodlands.
Elevation: 1700–2500 m.

Distribution

• Generated Map
• Legacy Map

Utah.

Discussion

Pediomelum pariense is known from Garfield, Kane, and Washington counties. It much prefers open, bar­ren rocky soils, particularly limestone and is considered rare, with fewer than 20 populations known. A few known populations inhabiting the high-elevation escarpment ridges of Bryce Canyon National Park are assured protection, but the bulk of populations exist on the lower steps of the Grand Staircase-Escalante area, areas that may become targets for mining and oil developments. In 2005 and 2006, considerable effort was spent to seek out new populations but without success.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.