Astragalus cimae
Plants somewhat coarse, 3.5–24 cm, glabrous or sparsely strigose; from superficial or shallow, subterranean caudex. Stems single or few, decumbent-ascending, glabrous or sparsely strigose. Leaves 4.5–11 cm; stipules 5–10 mm, papery at proximal nodes; leaflets 11–21(or 23), blades obovate-cuneate, ovate, broadly oblong-elliptic, or suborbiculate, 5–20 mm, apex obtuse or emarginate, surfaces glabrous or glabrate and glaucescent. Peduncles incurved-ascending, 3–8.5 cm. Racemes 10–25-flowered, flowers declined; axis 3–12 cm in fruit; bracts 3–6 mm; bracteoles 2. Pedicels 0.6–2 mm. Flowers 12–15 mm; calyx short-cylindric, 5.9–7.6 mm, strigulose, tube 4.5–5.6 mm, lobes subulate, 1.3–2.5 mm; corolla reddish purple with white or lilac wing tips; keel 9.5–10.6 mm. Legumes spreading-ascending (humistrate), green suffused or dotted red becoming stramineous, straight to incurved, oblong or broadly oblong-ovoid, obcompressed, 15–37 × 8–21 mm, ± bilocular, fleshy becoming papery, stiffly leathery, or subligneous, glabrous; septum to 3.5 mm wide; stipe 5–8 mm. Seeds (27–)30–36.
Distribution
w United States.
Discussion
Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).
Varieties cimae and sufflatus, separated by approximately 240 km, are nearly identical except for the fruits.
Selected References
None.
Key
| 1 | Legumes 15–25 × 8–12 mm, not or slightly inflated, fleshy becoming stiffly leathery or subligneous; septae to 1.8 mm wide; New York Mountains and vicinity, e Mojave Desert. | Astragalus cimae var. cimae |
| 1 | Legumes 30–37 × 13–21 mm, much inflated, fleshy becoming papery; septae 2–3.5 mm wide; Inyo Mountains, e Mojave Desert. | Astragalus cimae var. sufflatus |