Acmispon dendroideus
J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas 2: 389. 2008.
Shrubs or subshrubs, erect or procumbent, low to robust, green or gray, 5–20 dm, not fleshy, sparsely to densely strigose; from woody caudices. Stems 1–10+, erect or decumbent, branched, woody, leafy. Leaves irregularly pinnate; stipules glandlike; short-petiolate to petiolate; rachis 3–10 mm, not flattened; leaflets 3–5, blades narrowly obovate to elliptic or oblong, apex acute to obtuse, surfaces sparsely to densely strigose. Peduncles ascending, 2–10 mm, shorter than leaves; bract absent or unifoliolate, subtending umbel. Inflorescences (3–)7–12-flowered. Flowers 8–12 mm; calyx 4–6 mm, tube sparsely strigose to glabrate, lobes short-subulate to deltate; corolla yellow, claws ± longer than calyx tube, banner implicate-ascending to 90°, wings ± equaling keel; style abruptly incurved 90°, glabrous. Legumes persistent, exserted, divergent to declined, brown, straight or curved, turgid, slightly constricted, not septate, linear-oblong, 10–50 × 1–2 mm, leathery, apex tapering, long-beaked, indehiscent, ± veined, margins thickened, smooth, glabrate or sparsely strigose. Seeds 1–4(–6), brown (paler veined), not mottled, cylindric, smooth.
Distribution
California.
Discussion
Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).
In a phylogeographic study of Acmispon dendroideus, L. E. Wallace et al. (2017) showed that var. traskiae is sister to vars. dendroideus and veatchii. Acmispon dendroideus has been reported from Baja California, Mexico, but the material is inadequate for confident determination.
Selected References
None.
Lower Taxa
Key
| 1 | Subshrubs (shrubs); stems decumbent; leaflets 3, blades densely strigose, almost silky, usually gray. | Acmispon dendroideus var. veatchii |
| 1 | Shrubs; stems erect; leaflets 3–5, blades sparsely strigose, greenish. | > 2 |
| 2 | Umbel bract absent; ovules 1–3; legumes 10–15 mm. | Acmispon dendroideus var. dendroideus |
| 2 | Umbel bract unifoliolate; ovules 4–6; legumes (20–)30–50 mm. | Acmispon dendroideus var. traskiae |