Stanleya pinnata (Prince’s plume)

Stanleya pinnata (Pursh) Britton

Prince’s plume, desert princesplume

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Rosidae	Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more
Order	Brassicales	Mustard, cabbage, caper, papaya, nasturtiums, many others; most produce mustard oil
Family	Brassicaceae	Mustards, cabbages
Genus	Stanleya	For British naturalist Lord Stanley, 13th Earl of Derby
Species	pinnata	Pinnate—feathered

About plant names...

Prince’s plume is a hardy, drought-tolerant North American native plant. They like soils rich in selenium, which they accumulate to some degree. This imparts an unpleasant odor to crushed leaves or stems of plants growing in such soils.

Identification: Plants are up to 5' (1.5 m) in height. Leaves are mostly basal, grayish- or bluish-green in color, often with a white, waxy coating. They are pinnate, and lanceolate. Basal leaves are 2-6" (5-15 cm) long; upper leaves are smaller and may not be divided. Flowers are yellow, on long racemes that bloom from the bottom up, over many weeks or months. The stalks remain for a long period after blooming. Flowers are ¼-¾" (8.4-19 mm) in size, appearing from July to September. Seedpods are 1-3" (2.5-7.6 cm) long.

Online References:

Stanleya pinnata on Wildflowers, Ferns & Trees of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah

Stanleya pinnata on Northern Arizona Flora

Stanleya pinnata on www.calflora.net

Stanleya pinnata on Turner Photographics' Wildflowers site

Stanleya pinnata at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Stanleya pinnata on CalPhotos

Stanleya pinnata on Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants

Stanleya pinnata description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.