Flower profile
Breadroot scurf pea
Pediomelum esculentum
Breadroot scurf pea (Pediomelum esculentum) is a flowering plant in the Fabaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly May–June across the U.S.
Breadroot scurf pea is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 2 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in May–June.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: North Dakota, South Dakota
Quick look
Pediomelum esculentum, synonym Psoralea esculenta, common name prairie turnip or timpsila, is an herbaceous perennial plant native to prairies and dry woodlands of central North America, which bears a starchy tuberous root edible as a root vegetable. English names for the plant include tipsin, teepsenee, breadroot, breadroot scurf pea, large Indian breadroot, prairie potato and pomme blanche.
- It belongs to the Fabaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 17 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to South Dakota and North Dakota. NatureServe
- iNaturalist has 188 research-grade sightings of it in South Dakota, ranking #77 among the 126 flowers on our South Dakota list. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 180 research-grade sightings of it in North Dakota, ranking #34 among the 116 flowers on our North Dakota list. iNaturalist
When does it bloom?
Bloom time in the 2 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it
| State | Type | Peak bloom | Sightings* |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Dakota | Native | few records (7) | 188 |
| North Dakota | Native | few records (13) | 180 |
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- G5 Secure worldwide. NatureServe
- South Dakota
- No list South Dakota's endangered and threatened list (ARSD 41:10:02) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's South Dakota ranks for plants. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in South Dakota.
- North Dakota
- No list North Dakota has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's North Dakota ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in North Dakota.
- Rare elsewhere
- Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: AR (S2), WI (S2). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.
It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.
🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.
Where does it grow?
USDA PLANTS records breadroot scurf pea in 17 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin, Wyoming.
South Dakota counties with USDA records: Aurora, Bennett, Bon Homme, Brookings, Brown, Brule, Buffalo, Butte, Charles Mix, Clark, Clay, Codington, Corson, Custer, Day, Dewey, Fall River, Haakon, Harding, Jackson, Jerauld, Lawrence, Lincoln, Lyman, Meade, Mellette, Pennington, Roberts, Stanley, Todd, Tripp, Union, Yankton.
North Dakota counties with USDA records: Adams, Barnes, Benson, Billings, Bottineau, Bowman, Burke, Burleigh, Cass, Divide, Dunn, Eddy, Emmons, Golden Valley, Grand Forks, Grant, Griggs, Hettinger, Kidder, LaMoure, McHenry, McIntosh, McKenzie, McLean, Mercer, Morton, Mountrail, Nelson, Oliver, Pembina, Pierce, Ramsey, Ransom, Renville, Richland, Rolette, Sheridan, Sioux, Slope, Stark, Steele, Stutsman, Ward, Wells, Williams.
Names, range and relatives
Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Canada: Native; Lower 48 states: Native.
Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Psoralea esculenta.
County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 355 counties across 15 states; the most are in Kansas (70), Nebraska (47), North Dakota (45).
Other Pediomelum on Bloomipedia (2): Slimflower scurfpea, Silvery scurfpea.
More from the Fabaceae family (114 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Lupines, White clover, Red clover, Eastern redbud, Purple crownvetch, Bird's-foot trefoil, Partridge pea, White sweetclover.
More South Dakota flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile PEES.
- iNaturalist, Pediomelum esculentum: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Pediomelum esculentum (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- South Dakota: South Dakota statewide noxious weeds (ARSD 12:62:03:01.06).
- North Dakota: North Dakota state noxious weeds (N.D. Admin. Code 7-06-01-02), as listed by the ND Department of Agriculture.
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Pediomelum esculentum (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: F. LaBry via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.