Plants winter-annual or biennial, (3–)8–25 cm, strigulose to villo­sulous; from superficial root-crown; taproot slender. Stems incurved-ascending to decum­bent, strigulose to villo­sulous. Leaves 1.5–4 cm; stip­ules dis­tinct, 1–4 mm, mem­branous or herbaceous with membranous margins; leaflets (7 or)9–15(or 17), blades linear-elliptic, 5–12.5 mm, apex obtuse, surfaces pubescent. Peduncles incurved-ascending, (0.6–)1.4–3.5 cm. Racemes loosely (3 or)4–9-flowered, flowers ascending becoming spreading, ultimately declined; axis 0.4–3 cm in fruit; bracts 0.7–1.5 mm; bracteoles 0. Pedicels (1.2–)1.6–4.3 mm. Flowers 6.5–7.5 mm; calyx campanulate, 4.2–5 mm, gray-strigulose, tube 2.5–3 mm, lobes subulate, 1.4–2 mm; corolla pink-purple; banner recurved through 90°; keel 4.7–6.1 mm, apex bluntly deltate. Legumes deciduous from receptacle, horizontal or declined, green or minutely purple-dotted, becoming stramineous, straight, obliquely ovoid or ovoid-ellipsoid, bladdery-inflated, terete or somewhat obcompressed, 13–26 × 8–16 mm, thin becoming papery-membranous, some­what lustrous, strigulose, hairs spreading, incumbent or curly; gynophore to 0.8 mm. Seeds 10–14.

Phenology: Flowering May–Jul.
Habitat: On volcanic, gravelly flats, brushy hillsides, canyon slopes, on volcanic tuff.
Elevation: 1600–3100 m.

Distribution

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Calif., Nev.

Discussion

Astragalus gilmanii is restricted to the Panamint Mountains in Inyo County, California, and the Groom Range in Lincoln County, Nevada.

Astragalus gilmanii simulates some of the small-flowered phases of A. lentiginosus, but the annual or winter annual habit and unilocular legumes easily distinguish it from that species.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.