Plants short-lived, subacaules­cent or shortly caulescent, 8–22 cm, villous or villosulous, hairs basifixed; from superficial caudex. Stems prostrate or ascending, sometimes reduced to crowns, internodes 1–6 cm, concealed by stipules, villous or villosulous. Leaves (2.5–)3.5–9.5 cm; stipules 2.5–6 mm, membranous; leaflets (7 or)9–17(or 19), blades broadly oblanceolate to obovate or cuneate-obovate, 3–13 mm, apex obtuse or truncate, surfaces villous or villosulous abaxially, glabrous or glabrescent adaxially. Peduncles ascending, arcuate-procumbent or prostrate in fruit, 2.5–9.5 cm. Racemes (6–)8–15-flowered, flowers ascending; axis (0.5–)1–3 cm in fruit; bracts 1.5–3.5 mm; bracteoles 0. Pedicels 0.7–2 mm. Flowers 13–16 mm; calyx cylindric to deeply campanulate, 5.2–8 mm, villosulous, tube 4.6–6.5 mm, lobes triangular-subulate, 1.2–2 mm; corolla reddish lilac or pale purple; banner recurved through 40°; keel 10.4–13 mm. Legumes ascending (humistrate), stra­mineous, lunate or crescentically incurved through 0.5 spiral, narrowly ellipsoid to lanceoloid-ellipsoid, 3-sided compressed, (13–)20–30 × 3.5–6(–7) mm, bilocular, fleshy, strigulose; septum 1.3–2.3 mm wide. Seeds 27–36.

Phenology: Flowering Apr–early Jun.
Habitat: Open, sandy benches and gravelly hillsides in pinyon-juniper communities, plains-mesa grasslands, on granitic bedrock.
Elevation: 1500–1900(–2100) m.

Distribution

• Generated Map
• Legacy Map

Loading map...

N.Mex.

Discussion

D. Isely (1998) questioned the alliance of Astragalus feensis and A. waterfallii with sect. Argophylli because of their three-sided, bilocular fruits. The species is pri­marily from central to north-central New Mexico, with an outlying population known from a single collection in Hidalgo County.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.