familyFabaceae
subfamilyFabaceae subfam. Faboideae
genusAstragalus
sectionAstragalus sect. Scytocarpi
speciesAstragalus puniceus
Astragalus puniceus var. puniceus
Endemic
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 11.
Herbage villosulous. Stems villosulous. Leaflets (7–)17–27. Bracts herbaceous; bracteoles usually present. Flowers (13.5–)16–21 mm; corolla bright pink-purple. Legumes usually bright red-mottled, oblong-ellipsoid, (4.5–)5–8 mm wide.
Phenology: Flowering May–Jul.
Habitat: Low bluffs, sandy mesas, fallow fields, stabilized dunes.
Elevation: 1400–2200 m.
Distribution
Colo., N.Mex., Okla.
Discussion
R. C. Barneby (1964) provided a key, and discussion, detailing smaller-flowered plants from extreme western Oklahoma, noting that taxonomic recognition should await careful searches for intermediate populations.
Variety puniceus occurs in the Canadian River headwaters, northern New Mexico, southern Colorado, and western Oklahoma (Cimarron and Major counties). No voucher specimen has been located for a report from Texas (D. S. Correll and m. C. Johnston 1970).
Selected References
None.
Lower Taxa
None.