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Western Sampson's-snakeroot

Orbexilum pedunculatum

Found in open woodlands, bluffs, prairies. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you

29
Good

Native to Mississippi (estimated). How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 88%

Height
About 1 foot in flower
Light
Full sun, Part shade
Soil moisture
Dry to average
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Bloom
May to July
Fruiting season
July to September

Not yet recorded · Spread · Life cycle · Leaves

Recorded in 20 Mississippi counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 2

Forests and woodlands

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

Prairies and grasslands

Open, grass-dominated places kept open by fire, grazing or thin soil, from tallgrass prairie to Piedmont prairies.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

2CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including MS

Genus host records with ranges including MS · Orbexilum

  • Cyclophora myrtariaWaxmyrtle Wave
  • Schinia jaguarinaJaguar Flower Moth
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
2BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Orbexilum

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
1BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Psoralea

  • Perdix perdixGray Partridge
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Fabaceae
Flower color
Purple
Fruit begins
July
Fruit ends
September

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Psoralea psoralioides var. eglandulosa; Sampsons Snakeroot; Western Sampson's snakeroot

Conservation status

Mississippi rankSNR
Global rankG5?
MS statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

Will it fit your yard?

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How to check your spot

Sources