Herbs, perennial, mat-forming, silvery, 2–6 dm, not fleshy, tomentose; from woody cau­dices. Stems 1–20+, procumbent or the central ascend­ing, branched, herbaceous, leafy. Leaves pinnate to subpalmate; stipules glandlike; short-petiolate; rachis 2–5 mm, flattened; leaflets 3–5, blades obovate to oblanceolate or broadly obovate to obcordate, apex usually obtuse to acute, sometimes mucronulate, or retuse to cordate, surfaces gray-puberulent. Peduncles curved to erect, 25–75(–95) mm, longer than leaves; bract absent or 1(–3)-foliolate, distal. Inflorescences (1 or)2–7-flowered. Flowers 12–20 mm; calyx 3.5–5 mm, tube puberulent, lobes narrow lanceolate; corolla yellow to cream, often suffused with red, claws shorter than calyx tube, banner ascending 45–90°, wings ± equaling to longer than keel; style nearly straight, glabrous. Legumes subpersistent, exserted, erect to ascending, tawny to brown, straight, turgid, not constricted, ± septate, oblong, 15–35(–40) × 3–7 mm, leathery, apex short-beaked, dehiscent, smooth, margins smooth, thickened, strigillose. Seeds 3–6, brown, ± mottled, oblong, ± rugose to smooth.

Distribution

Arizona.

Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Acmispon mearnsii var. equisolensis, Acmispon mearnsii var. mearnsii

Key

1	Leaflet blades obovate to oblanceolate, apices obtuse to acute, sometimes mucronulate; peduncles 30–60(–80) mm; flowers 12–16 mm; legumes 15–25(–30) × 3–4 mm.	Acmispon mearnsii var. mearnsii
1	Leaflet blades broadly obovate to obcordate, apices obtuse or retuse to cordate; peduncles 25–75(–95) mm; flowers 14–20 mm; legumes 25–35(–40) × 4–7 mm.	Acmispon mearnsii var. equisolensis