Fremont's dalea Fabaceae Psorothamnus
fremontii (Torr. ex A. Gray) Barneby
symbol: PSFR
Leaf: Alternate, deciduous with drought or cold, pinnately compound with 3-9 leaflets per leaf, to 3 inches long but usually shorter; leaflets narrowly ovate to linear, to 1 inch long, entire edges, light blue-gray.
Flower: Attractive, pea-like, deep purple-blue, 1/3 inch long, occur at the ends of twigs in long (to 5 inch) clusters, appearing in spring slightly before or with the leaves.
Fruit: Small, odd-looking one-seeded legume, 3/8 inch, egg-shaped, pointed end, covered in dark red glands.
Twig: Slender yellow-green to blue-green; heavily-branched and somewhat spine-tipped.
Bark: Light gray-brown and smooth.
Form: Densely branched, somewhat thorny, multistemmed shrub to 3 feet tall, becoming gnarled with age.
Looks like: Schott indigobush
- desert smoke tree