Plants perennial, (7–)10–30(–35) cm. Leaves (4–)5–11 cm; leaf­lets (7–)11–17(or 19), blades usually broadly obovate-cuneate, elliptic, or suborbiculate, rarely rhombic-elliptic, (4–)7–20 mm, apex usually obtuse, retuse, truncate, or apiculate, rarely acute. Peduncles 1–5 cm. Racemes shortly and loosely (5–)7–15-flowered, flowering from near or proximal to middle nodes, short and compact in fruit; axis little elongating, 1–3.5 cm in fruit. Flowers (12.6–)14–21.4 mm; calyx (8–)8.5–12.5 mm, tube (5–)5.5–8(–9) mm, lobes 2.4–5 mm; corolla usually whitish, rarely purple. Legumes variable in length, outline, and curvature, pale green or purple-speckled becoming stramineous or brownish, plumply ovoid or narrowly lanceoloid-ellipsoid, (13–)15–40(–48) × 7–14 mm, ± bilocular, strongly or slightly inflated, ± fleshy becoming leathery or stiffly papery, usually glabrous, sometimes minutely strigulose; beak deltoid or lanceolate-acuminate, 5–15 mm, unilocular. Seeds (21–)24–32(–38).

Phenology: Flowering May–Jul.
Habitat: Arid plains, hillsides, and valley floors, on basalt, with sagebrush.
Elevation: 600–1900(–2100) m.

Distribution

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Calif., Colo., Idaho, Nev., Oreg., Utah, Wyo.

Discussion

Variety platyphyllidius is dispersed widely from east­ern Oregon and northeastern California, across south­ern Idaho into western Wyoming, northeastern Nevada, and barely into northern Utah and northwestern Colorado. It is apparently common only locally, distin­guished by its typically pale flowers and thick-textured fruits (approximate length of two times width or less).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.