Looking for a U.s. Department Of Agriculture Forms And Templates? Download it for free!

Plant Guide

often considered unpalatable and is left in the stand after

MOUNTAIN

all other forage has been consumed (Hermann 1966).

GOLDENBANNER

Restoration:

This species is recommended for use in non-grazed areas.

Thermopsis montana Nutt. var.

It is used for soil and slope stabilization on roadside

montana

plantings in Idaho (Robson and Kingery 2006).

Plant Symbol = THMOM3

Native Plant Gardens:

Mountain goldenbanner is a valuable species for native

Contributed by: USDA NRCS Idaho Plant Materials

plant gardens and pollinator plantings. The species is

Program

noted for its ease to grow and bright flowers which persist

for several weeks. The flowers are especially attractive to

bumblebees.

Ethnobotanical:

The Ramah Navajo used a decoction of the plant as cough

medicine and created a fumigant of mountain

goldenbanner for headaches (Vestal 1952).

Status

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State

Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s current

status (e.g., threatened or endangered species, state

noxious status, and wetland indicator values).

Weediness

This plant may become weedy or invasive in some

regions or habitats and may displace desirable vegetation

if not properly managed. Please consult with your local

NRCS Field Office, Cooperative Extension Service

office, state natural resource, or state agriculture

department regarding its status and use. Weed

information is also available from the PLANTS Web site

at Please consult the Related Web

Sites on the Plant Profile for this species for further

information.

Description

General: Legume family (Fabaceae). Mountain

Mountain goldenbanner. Sheri Hagwood @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS

goldenbanner is a perennial rhizomatous forb from 20 to

Database.

75 cm (29 in) tall with erect branching stems. The leaves

are palmately trifoliate (3 leaflets) arising from a 1 to 4

Alternate Names

cm (0.4 to 1.6 in) long petiole. At the base of the petiole is

Common Alternate Names: golden pea, yellow pea,

a pair of leaf-like stipules, 1 to 3 cm (0.4 to 1.2 in) long.

buffalo pea, mountain false lupine

The leaflets are 2 to 9 cm (0.8 to 3.5 in) long and 0.5 to

3.6 cm (0.2 to 1.4 in) wide, elliptic to lanceolate or

Scientific Alternate Names: T. rhombifolia var. montana

oblanceolate and acute to rounded on the tip. The flowers

(Nutt.) Isely

are born in a 6 to 25 cm (2.4 to 9.8 in) long raceme or

loose spike, with 2 to 23 yellow flowers. Each flower is

Uses

20 to 26 mm (0.08 to 0.1 in) long and resembles a pea or

Wildlife/Livestock:

lupine flower. The fruit is a 4 to 5.5 cm (1.6 to 2.2 in)

Wildlife and livestock typically avoid mountain

long pod which dries to a blackish color (Welsh et al.

goldenbanner. Although reports of palatability vary, it is

2003). The pods of mountain goldenbanner are erect. The

Plant Guide - Mountain Goldenbanner Thermopsis Montana Nutt. Var. Montana - U.s. Department Of Agriculture

Related Articles

Related forms

Related Categories