Plants dwarf, loosely tuft-forming, subacaulescent or shortly caulescent, to 5 cm, gray-strigose, hairs basifixed; from superficial caudex. Stems usually obsolete, 0–5 cm, inter­nodes mostly concealed by stip­ules, gray-strigose. Leaves 2–8(–10) cm; stipules 4–6 mm, sub­membranous; leaflets (7–)11–15(–19), blades obovate, obovate-cuneate, or subrhombic, 4–10 mm, apex obtuse, surfaces strigose. Peduncles 1.5–4(–5) cm. Racemes 3–7-flowered, flowers ascending; axis 0.5–2.5 cm in fruit; bracts 2.5–4.5 mm; bracteoles 0–2. Pedicels 1.5 mm. Flowers 18.8–21 mm; calyx cylindric, base obliquely obconic-attenuate, 11–13 mm, densely strigose-strigulose, tube 9–10.5 mm, lobes subulate, 1.5–3 mm; corolla pink-purple; banner recurved through 40°; keel 16.5–18.5 mm. Legumes ascending or loosely spreading (humistrate), stramineous, straight or slightly incurved, obliquely globose, oblong-globose, or broadly obovoid, turgid or moderately inflated, dorsiventrally compressed, (1–)1.3–1.8 × 8–13 mm, bilocular, apex minutely cuspidate, not or scarcely beaked, fleshy becoming spongy, strigulose; septum 3–6 mm wide. Seeds 28–40.

Phenology: Flowering May–Jul.
Habitat: Dry gravelly flats and hillsides, on sandy clay soils overlying granitic bedrock, among or sheltering under low sagebrush.
Elevation: 2300–2600 m.

Distribution

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Colo.

Discussion

Astragalus anisus is restricted to the Gunnison River valley, Gunnison County. Label data for the type speci­men, indicating its origin near Pueblo, is probably in error. It has moved readily onto gravel hauled from nearby deposits to bury radioactive wastes near the town of Gunnison.

Astragalus anisus is in the Center for Plant Conservation’s National Collection of Endangered Plants.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.