Herbs, perennial, cespitose, greenish or grayish (base), 1–5 dm, not fleshy, puberulent to sparsely strigose or glabrate; rhizomatous caudex from a tap­root. Stems 1–10+, decumbent to ascending or erect, branched sparsely, stiff, leafy, base without persistent leaves. Leaves palmate, homomorphic; stipules ovate; sessile; rachis absent; leaflets (2–)4–6, blades linear-oblanceolate to oblanceolate, apex acute to obtuse, surfaces villous to strigose. Peduncles ascending to deflexed, curved to erect, (10–)20–50(–80) mm, longer than leaves; bract 1–3-foliolate, subtending umbel. Inflorescences (1 or)2–5(or 6)-flowered. Flowers 8–15 mm; calyx 5–7.5 mm, tube villous, lobes subulate; corolla yellow with red-backed banner, often suffused with red, turning orange, claws shorter than calyx tube, banner recurved ca. 45°, pandurate, wings longer than keel (nearly equaling banner); style straight, glabrous. Legumes persistent, exserted, spreading or deflexed, reddish to grayish brown, ± straight, turgid, not constricted, incompletely septate, linear-oblong, (14–)25–35 × 1.5–3.5 mm, leathery, apex short-beaked, dehiscent, smooth, lustrous, margins keeled, strigillose or glabrous. Seeds (1–)3–6, olive green to dark brown, mottled, oblong, smooth.

Phenology: Flowering spring(–summer).
Habitat: Open places, dry, stony or sandy soils, sagebrush, desert scrub, pinyon-juniper woodlands, chaparral, oak woodlands, yellow pine or spruce-aspen forests, riparian communities.
Elevation: (1500–)1700–2900 m.

Distribution

• Generated Map
• Legacy Map

Ariz., Nev., Utah.

Discussion

Acmispon utahensis is nearly restricted to Utah, barely penetrating into Arizona and Nevada. It is encoun­tered on the plateaus of the intermountain region. It is reported to hybridize with A. rigidus and A. wrightii (A. M. Ottley 1944).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.