Plants clump-forming, slender, stiff, wiry, (10–)15–30 cm, vil­lous or pilose, densely gray-villosulous basally, hairs basi­fixed, sub-basifixed, or malpi­ghian; from superficial caudex; taproot woody. Stems erect or ascending, subappressed-pilose, densely white-tomentose basally. Leaves 3.5–9(–10.5) cm; stipules connate-sheathing at proximal nodes, distinct at distal nodes, (2–)3–8 mm, submem­branous; leaflets 11–19(–23), blades narrowly elliptic to lanceolate-elliptic or narrowly oblong, (3–)5–15(–18) mm, apex acute to obtuse or apiculate, surfaces villous. Peduncles erect, 0.5–5(–7) cm. Racemes (5–)10–25-flowered, flowers spreading and declined; axis (1.5–)3–10.5 cm in fruit; bracts 1–2.5 mm; bracteoles 0. Pedicels 0.4–1.5 mm. Flowers 4.5–6(–7) mm; calyx campanulate, 3.5–5.5 mm, villous-villosulous, tube 1.7–2.2 mm, lobes subulate-setaceous, (1.3–)1.5–3 mm; corolla whitish or tinged lilac, drying yellowish; banner recurved through 50°; keel (3.6–)4–5 mm, apex bluntly deltate, sometimes obscurely beaklike. Legumes reflexed, pale green, straight, subsymmetric­ally lanceoloid-ellipsoid or ellipsoid, 3-sided or laterally compressed, 6–8.5(–9) × 2–2.7(–3) mm, papery, tomen­tulose. Seeds 6–8.

Phenology: Flowering May–Jul.
Habitat: Sandy substrates or dunes derived from basalt, on clay, in sagebrush, bitterbrush, and hopsage communities.
Elevation: 100–1400 m.

Distribution

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Idaho, Oreg., Wash.

Discussion

Astragalus caricinus occurs from south-central Idaho to eastern Oregon, and in south-central and central Washington, where it apparently intergrades with A. lyallii (D. Isely 1998).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.