Plants somewhat slender, 2.5–25 cm, finely strigulose; from superficial caudex. Stems ascending or prostrate, finely strigulose. Leaves 2.5–7 cm; stipules 1.5–3 mm, herbaceous becoming papery at proximal nodes, herbaceous at distal nodes; leaflets (7 or)9–21, blades oblong-obovate to linear-oblong or -elliptic, 2–10 mm, apex obtuse to subacute or retuse, surfaces strigulose abaxially, strigulose, glabrous, or glabrate adaxially. Peduncles ascending, 1.5–8(–10) cm. Racemes 5–15-flowered; axis 1–8 cm in fruit; bracts 1–1.5 mm; bracteoles 0. Pedicels 0.8–1.7 mm. Flowers 6.5–10 mm; calyx 3.4–4.8 mm, strigose, tube 2.2–2.8 mm, lobes lanceolate-subulate, 0.9–2.2 mm; corolla yellowish, yellowish white and lightly tinged rose, or greenish ochroleucous, banner violet-veined; banner recurved through 45–85°; keel 4.6–6.4 mm. Legumes pendulous, brown or stramineous, lunate, lanceoloid-ellipsoid, 3-sided compressed, 12–25 × 2.6–4 mm, papery, strigulose-villosulous; septum 1.3–2.4 mm wide; stipe 2.5–5 mm. Seeds 11–16.

Distribution

nw United States.

Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

D. Isely (1983) redefined Astragalus howellii by expanding it to include the geographically contiguous A. misellus and its varieties as recognized here, noting that these might be viewed as representatives of a single complex with some quantitative regional differentiation. The proposal has merit and is worthy of study; however, this treatment follows that of R. C. Barneby (1964).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Astragalus misellus var. misellus, Astragalus misellus var. pauper

Key

1	Plants 10–25 cm; leaflets (9–)13–21, blade sur­faces glabrous or glabrate adaxially.	Astragalus misellus var. misellus
1	Plants 2.5–15 cm; leaflets (7–)11 or 13, blade sur­faces strigulose adaxially.	Astragalus misellus var. pauper