Summary ⁴

Necklace pod is native to Florida and can be found growing on the edges of coastal forests and on the inland side of dunes along the beach. It is a dense, multi-trunked, 6 to 10 ft. tall, evergreen shrub. The bark is yellowish brown, roughened by many raised whitish, corky lenticles. The leaves are alternate and odd-pinnate. They are up to 12 in. long and 3 in. wide. The leaves consist of 11 to 23 irregularly opposite leaflets. The leaflets are typically 1 2/16 to 1 8/16 in. long. They are broadly ovate to obovate. The leaflets, rachis, petiole and young branch tips are covered with a silvery, velvety pubescence that gives the plant its silvery cast. Variety truncata is the Florida native. It has dark green leaves that are shiny above and slightly hairy underneath when young, then becoming smooth. The other variety, occidentalis, is covered with dense, silky, matted hairs that gives the plant its silvery cast. In other respects, both varieties are identical. Bright yellow flowers appear in terminal spikes that are 4- to 16-inches-long; they occur periodically throughout the year. These showy flowers open from the base to the elongating tip of the flower spike. Attractive brown seedpods are borne on the plant after flowering ceases, but they can frequently be found on the plant together. The pods start as slender, silvery, dangling threads, which quickly lengthen and become strongly constricted between seeds. Constricted pods appear as beads on a necklace, and are 2 to 8 in. long. The seeds are dangerous to eat and contain an alkaloid, cytisine, which is emetic and purgative.

Sources and Credits

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2. (c) 106611639464075912591, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by 106611639464075912591, https://picasaweb.google.com/106611639464075912591/GBB2#5943074533839334466
3. (c) 106611639464075912591, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by 106611639464075912591, https://picasaweb.google.com/106611639464075912591/GBB2#5943076032729207794
4. (c) t_kok, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• African Plants - a photo guide
• Atlas of Living Australia
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• eFloras.org
• Flora of North America (beta)
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
• IPNI (with links to POWO, WFO, and BHL)
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• SEINet Symbiota portals
• Tropicos
• USDA PLANTS database
• World Flora Online
• 日本のレッドデータ検索システム
• 植物和名−学名インデックス YList

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