Plants 6–30(–35) cm, strigulose; from branched, superficial cau­dex. Stems several, decumbent to ascending, diffuse, strig­ulose. Leaves 3.5–10 cm; stipules 3–8 mm, mostly membranous; leaflets 11–19, blades obovate, oblong, or oblanceolate, 4–17 mm, apex obtuse or retuse, surfaces strigose abaxially, glabrous adaxially. Pedun­cles incurved-ascending, reclined in fruit, 3–8 cm. Racemes subcapitate at early anthesis, 4–14-flowered, flowers spreading-ascending; axis 0.5–2.7 cm in fruit; bracts 2–4 mm; bracteoles 0–2. Pedicels 1–2.5 mm. Flowers 15–19 mm; calyx cylindric, 6.4–9.2 mm, strigose, tube 5–7 mm, lobes subulate, 1.4–2.5 mm; corolla pink-purple with white wing tips, or whitish to ochroleucous and tinged; keel 9.8–12.7 mm. Legumes ascending (humistrate), stramineous, incurved to ± straight, ellipsoid to oblong, obcompressed, 17–32 × 7–10 mm, subunilocular, wider than high in cross sec­tion, woody or stiffly leathery, strigose, hairs ± 1 mm; stipe to 2 mm. Seeds 27–32. 2n = 22.

Phenology: Flowering Apr–early Aug.
Habitat: Mountain brush, sage­brush, juniper-pinyon, mixed desert shrub communities.
Elevation: 1000–2900 m.

Distribution

• Generated Map
• Legacy Map

Colo., Idaho, Mont., Nev., Utah, Wyo.

Discussion

Astragalus cibarius is a low-growing plant with stems radiating from the superficial or almost superficial root-crown, with rather compact racemes of pale to dark purple flowers and closely clustered legumes, obcom­pressed except for the beak. It resembles in habit several of the larger-flowered forms of A. lentiginosus and has a distributional pattern unmatched among western American species of Astragalus. The primary centers of occurrence are along the Wasatch Moun­tains of Utah and southeastern Idaho, but A. cibarius extends to northeastern Nevada, southern Utah, western Colorado, northeastern Wyoming, and west­ern Montana.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.