Thermopsis


Thermopsis is a genus of legumes, native to temperate North America and east Asia. They are herbaceous perennials and are known as goldenbanners or false-lupines.

Species

Thermopsis comprises the following species:Thermopsis alpina Ledeb.Thermopsis alterniflora Regel & Schmalh.Thermopsis barbata Benth.Thermopsis bargusinensis Czefr.Thermopsis californica S. Watson — western North America
  • * var. argentata C.J.Chen & B.L.Turner
  • * var. californica S. Watson
  • * var. semota Thermopsis chinensis S. MooreThermopsis dahurica Czefr.Thermopsis dolichocarpa V.A. NikitinThermopsis gracilis Howell — western North AmericaThermopsis gyirongensis S.Q. WeiThermopsis hirsutissima Thermopsis inflata Cambess.Thermopsis jacutica Czefr.Thermopsis lanceolata R.Br.Thermopsis longicarpa N.Ulziykh.Thermopsis macrophylla Hook. & Arn. — western North AmericaThermopsis mollis M.A.Curtis ex A.Gray — eastern North AmericaThermopsis mongolica Czefr.Thermopsis montana Nutt. — Rocky Mountains of North America
  • * var. hitchcockii
  • * var. montanaThermopsis przewalskii Czefr.Thermopsis rhombifolia Richardson — Rocky Mountains of North AmericaThermopsis robusta Howell—western North AmericaThermopsis schischkinii Czefr.Thermopsis smithiana E.PeterThermopsis turkestanica Gand.Thermopsis villosa Fernald & B.G.Schub.—eastern North AmericaThermopsis yushuensis S.Q.Wei

Toxicity

The toxicity of T. rhombifolia and T. montana has been the subject of research. The toxicity is known to come from a series of alpha-pyridone quinolizidine alkaloids, including anagyrine, thermposine, 5,6-dehydrolupanine, cytisine, N-methylcystisine, lupanine, and 17-oxysparteine. Their concentration is highest in young plants, flowers, and legumes, though otherwise generally alkaloid concentrations are equal throughout the plant. Alkaloid dosage from plant ingestion is in the range of 1.1–11.3 mg/kg.
A 1997 review found 23 cases. 18 patients developed symptoms within a few hours and symptoms lasted up to 12 hours, including vomiting, dizziness, abdominal pain, drowsiness, nausea, headache, oral irritation, tachycardia, tremors, and other general signs. Only 2 required admission to a health care facility, one of which involved elevated CK levels. Purified alkaloids cause the same signs of intoxication as the whole plant.