Plants 30–60(–95) cm, coarse, strigulose. Stems erect or ascending, diffuse, strigulose. Leaves 7–15 cm; stipules 6–10 mm, herbaceous; leaflet blades oblong-elliptic to lanceo­late, 14–30 mm, apex obtuse to apiculate, surfaces sparsely stri­gulose abaxially, glabrous adax­ially. Peduncles erect, 2–6 cm. Racemes 7–15-flowered; axis 2–5 cm in fruit; bracts 2–4 mm; bracteoles 2. Ped­icels 3–4 mm. Flowers 13–15 mm; calyx marcescent, 5–7 mm, glabrous, tube 3.5–5 mm, lobes broadly sub­ulate, 1.5–2.5 mm; keel 13–15 mm. Legumes brown­ish, slightly convex, 10–15 × 6–10 mm, sublign­eous becom­ing transversely rugose, glabrous; stipe 6–8 mm.

Phenology: Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat: Meadows, bottomlands, river­banks.
Elevation: 1600–1700 m.

Distribution

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Introduced; Idaho, Okla., Asia (China, Russian Far East).

Discussion

Astragalus chinensis is locally naturalized in Idaho near Dubois, Clark County, and in Oklahoma in Payne County. A report from Saskatchewan was based on plants in cultivation.

The graduated cream-yellow petals and the long-stipitate, fleshy, but ultimately woody and rugulose, egg-shaped fruits distinguish Astragalus chinensis from all native astragali.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.