Legume Litigation Defends Medicinal Scurfpea

SANTA FE, N.M. (CN) - The Secretary of the Interior refuses to protect a legume, the Chihuahua Scurfpea, which is threatened or endangered, the WildEarth Guardians claim in Federal Court. They say the Tarahumara Indians use the plant (Pediomylum pentaphyllum) to reduce fever, it could have other medicinal uses, and there are only 300 such plants left in the world.

The Guardians say they "frequently use and enjoy the Scurfpea and its habitat for wildlife viewing, recreational, aesthetic, and scientific activities and will continue to do so."

A few dozen Scurfpeas have been found on private land in Arizona, and the Bureau of Land Management killed others by boneheaded herbicide spraying, according to the complaint.

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