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Fabaceae FAMILY

Thermopsis lanceolata

Thermopsis lanceolata

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
3/5

Safety & Hazards

The plant is very poisonous. The seeds have harmful effects when present as an impurity in flour to the extent of 20.5% [?] by weight. The plant is avoided by livestock[1].

Cultivation Details

HabitPerennial
Growth—

Thermopsis lanceolata is a plant of temperate continental climates and is very cold-hardy, able to tolerate winter temperatures falling to around -35°c[2]. It grows best in regions with hot summers. Requires a sunny position, succeeding in any moderately fertile, well-drained soil[2]. Plants can spread fairly rapidly by means of rhizomes, and can out-compete less vigorous plants[2]. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria; these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[3].

Propagation

Pre-soak the seed for 24 hours in warm water and then sow in early spring in a cold frame. Germination is usually good and within a month[PFAF]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division in spring. Somewhat difficult, divided plants do not establish readily[4]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Thermopsis+lanceolata>

Pollinators

Insects

References

  1. [1]Flora of the USSR. — Komarov. V. L. · Israel Program for Scientific Translation · 1968 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org · ISBN - ↩︎An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
  2. [2]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  3. [3]Nodulation Plants in GRIN Taxonomy — United States Department of Agriculture · http://www.ars-grin.gov/~sbmljw/cgi-bin/taxnodul.pl?language=en ↩︎An online database listing plants that have either positive or negative reports on root and stem nodulation with nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
  4. [4]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  5. [5]Medicinal Plants in Mongolia — World Health Organisation; Western Pacific Region · 2013 · http://www.who.in · ISBN 987 92 9061 632 0 ↩︎Information on medicinal plants from Mongolia
  6. [6]A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. — Usher. G. · Constable · 1974 · ISBN 0094579202 ↩︎Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
  7. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎