Astragalus pardalinus

Plants annual or perennial (short-lived), clump-forming, 8–30(–35) cm, strigulose-villosulous; from superficial caudex. Stems decumbent to ascending, diffuse, clumps often as tall as wide, strigulose-villosulous. Leaves 3–8.5 cm; stipules mostly distinct, some shortly connate-sheathing, 2–6 mm, papery at proximal nodes, subherbaceous at distal nodes; leaflets 11–17, blades oblong to oblanceolate or obovate, 3–20 mm, apex truncate to retuse, mucronate, or acute, surfaces strigulose. Peduncles incurved, 1–4 cm. Racemes 3–9-flowered, flowers ascending; axis 1–4 cm in fruit; bracts 1–3.5 mm; bracteoles 0–2. Pedicels 0.8–3.6 mm. Flowers 6.3–8.2 mm; calyx campanulate, 4.8–6.6 mm, villous, tube 2.3–3 mm, lobes subulate, 2.2–3.5 mm; corolla pink-purple, fading yellowish; banner recurved through 60–90°; keel 5.8–6.8 mm, apex bluntly or sharply triangular, often beaklike. Legumes deciduous from receptacle, declined, green, often brightly purple- or red-mottled, straight or slightly incurved, obliquely ovoid-ellipsoid, inflated, not strongly bladdery, gently obcompressed, 13–21 × 7–11 mm, firmly papery, villosulous, hairs spreading, incurved, to 0.7 mm. Seeds 20–28.

Phenology: Flowering May–Jun.
Habitat: Mixed desert shrub and pinyon-juniper communities.
Elevation: 1200–1900 m.

Utah.

Discussion

The main area of distribution of Astragalus pardalinus is the sandy eastern foot of the San Rafael Swell. There it forms a geographic link to the closely related A. pubentissimus to the north and A. sabulonum to the south. D. Isely (1998) provided a key distinguishing these three species. R. C. Barneby (1964) also discussed its distinction from A. wootonii var. candollianus (Kunth) Barneby of central Mexico.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa