| Other Common Names:
Prairie Shoestring, Wild Tea
Family: Pea (Fabaceae)
Height: 1 - 3' (30 -
90 cm)
Flower Size: 1/6" (4
mm), in spikes 2 - 7"
(5 - 17.8 cm) long
Flowering Season: June
- August
Ecological Preferences:
Dry, sandy soil
Select Characteristics:
The leaves and stems are covered with whitish hairs.
With age the stem can become up to 1/2" (1.3
cm) in diameter and quite woody. The roots may be
from 4 to 16 feet (1.2 - 4.8 m) long.
Historical Significance:
The dried leaves were used for smoking and for
making tea. The tea was used by some tribes to treat
pinworms. Plant parts were also used in treatments
for eczema and rheumatism. Some people thought
leadplant indicated the presence of lead ore. That
was a superstition, but ecologists agree the
presence of leadplant is an indicator of good
prairie conditions.
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