Astragalus pinonis
Plants slender, weak, 10–55(–60) cm, gray-strigulose; from superficial caudex. Stems erect or reclining, gray-strigulose. Leaves sparse, 2–11 cm; stipules distinct throughout, 1.5–6 mm, papery at proximal nodes, herbaceous at distal nodes; leaflets (5–)9–19, blades linear or oblong, 2–19 mm, apex obtuse to retuse, surfaces strigose; terminal leaflet jointed to rachis. Peduncles divaricate or widely incurved-ascending, 1.5–8 cm. Racemes 5–20-flowered, flowers ascending-spreading; axis 2–7(–11) cm in fruit; bracts 1–2 mm; bracteoles 0 or 1. Pedicels 1–3 mm. Flowers 8.1–10.3 mm; calyx campanulate, 4.2–5.6(–7) mm, strigose, tube 2.3–3.8(–4.5) mm, lobes subulate, (0.8–)1–2.4 mm; corolla greenish to ochroleucous, suffused with purple, or white and purple-veined; banner recurved through 90°; keel 7.5–9.7 mm, apex slightly beaked. Legumes spreading or declined, brownish- or purplish-tinged becoming brown-stramineous, straight to slightly curved, oblong-ellipsoid, ± terete, 20–35 × 5.5–8.5 mm, stiffly-papery, strigose; subsessile. Seeds 32–42.
Phenology: Flowering May–Jul.
Habitat: With black sagebrush in juniper and pinyon-juniper woodlands, salt-grass meadows.
Elevation: 1500–2300 m.
Distribution
Nev., Utah.
Discussion
Astragalus pinonis is found in Beaver and Juab counties in Utah, and Lincoln, Nye, and White Pine counties in Nevada.
Astragalus pinonis, a Great Basin endemic, commonly grows up through shrubs and is inconspicuous, possibly accounting for its rarity in collections.
Selected References
None.