Plants tuft-forming, resembling grass bunch, acaulescent or sub­acaulescent, 5–28 cm, silvery- or gray-strigulose; from branched caudex. Stems obscured by stip­ules. Leaves reduced to phyl­lodia, 1–13(–17) cm; stipules conspicuous, usually connate-sheathing, 2–8 mm, white-membranous; phyllodia linear-oblanceolate proximally, narrowly linear distally, 1–3 mm wide, apex very acute and subspinulose distally, surfaces strigose. Peduncles erect, slender, wiry, 2–9(–11) cm. Racemes loosely 7–23-flowered, in bud resembling grass spikelets; axis 4.5–24 cm in fruit; bracts 2–4.5 mm; bracteoles 0. Pedicels 1–2.5 mm. Flowers 6.2–8.5 mm; calyx 4.5–8.5 mm, strigose, tube 2–3.5 mm, lobes rigid-spreading and subulate-aristiform, 2.5–5.2 mm; corolla pink-purple, banner striate; banner recurved through 90°; keel 6–6.6 mm. Legumes erect or ascending, green, often with purple or red spots, becoming stramineous, curved, obliquely lanceoloid or oblong, laterally com­pressed, 7–12 × 1.7–3 mm, stiffly papery, glabrous or strigose; sessile. Seeds 4–8.

Phenology: Flowering May–Jul.
Habitat: Sandstone hogbacks and cuestas in pinyon-juniper and mixed desert shrub communities.
Elevation: 1400–1900 m.

Distribution

• Generated Map
• Legacy Map

Utah.

Discussion

The foliage of Astragalus chloödes is initially grass­like but matures to resemble a cluster of pine needles; the flower buds resemble grass spikelets. This narrow Uintah County endemic is locally common atop weath­ered sandstone formations.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.