Pickeringia

Pickeringia
ssp. montana
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Subfamily:	Faboideae
Tribe:	Thermopsideae
Genus:	Pickeringia Nutt ex Torr & A.Gray
Species:	P. montana
Binomial name
Pickeringia montana Torr & A.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 endemic-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.

Description

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.

See also

• California chaparral and woodlands

External links

• USDA Plants Profile; Pickeringia montana
• Jepson Manual Treatment - Pickeringia montana
• Ecology