Herbage strigulose-pilosulous, hairs basifixed. Stems 1–15 cm. Leaves (3–)4.5–19 cm; leaflets (9 or)11–21, blades narrowly to broadly elliptic, lanceolate, or lanceolate-oblong, (3–)5–26 mm, apex acute, obtuse, obtuse and apiculate, or, rarely, retuse, surfaces glabrous or sparsely pubescent. Racemes (3–)6–16-flowered; axis (1–)1.5–7(–7.5) cm in fruit. Flowers: calyx (3.8–)4–5.6 mm, tube 2.6–3.5 mm, lobes (0.9–)1–2.3 mm; corolla whitish, some­times purple-veined; banner (5.2–)6.5–13 mm; keel (7.1–)8–10(–11.4) mm. Legumes linear, linear-ellipsoid, or -oblanceoloid, (15–)18–25 × 2.5–4 mm, usually gla­brous, rarely with few, scattered hairs. Seeds (6 or)7–11.

Phenology: Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat: Meadows, banks, open park­lands with lodgepole pine, Douglas-fir, and ponderosa pine.
Elevation: 900–2900 m.

Distribution

• Generated Map
• Legacy Map

Loading map...

Idaho, Mont., S.Dak., Wyo.

Discussion

Variety hylophilus occurs in the Rocky Mountains of western Wyoming and western Montana (and imme­diately adjoining Idaho), and the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Variety hylophilus is sympatric, in part, with vars. crispatus, miser, and tenuifolius. Its distinction may be preserved by ecological isolation; of the four varieties it is the most mesic, whereas the others are more xerophytic (D. Isely 1998).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.