Stems usually ascending, (10–)15–40(–60) cm. Leaves 3–12 cm; proximal stipules distinct or obscurely connate; leaflets (7 or)9–13(or 15), blades (5–)7–25(–32) mm, surfaces uniformly strigulose abax­ially or glabrate throughout, hairs subappressed or narrowly ascending-incumbent, to 0.2–0.6 mm. Pedun­cles (3.5–)4.5–16(–23) cm. Racemes (5–)7–25(–33)-flowered; axis (2–)3–18(–20) cm in fruit. Flowers (6–)7.2–11.5 mm; corolla pale purple, pink-purple, pink, or whitish (then keel apex purple). Legumes not remote, obtusely 3-sided, (10–)13–25 × 3.5–5.5 mm, beak 0.8–1.5 mm, sparsely strigulose-pilosulous, hairs black or black and white; septum 0.2–1(–1.5) mm wide; stipe (1–)1.5–5(–6.5) mm. Seeds (6 or)7–10.

Phenology: Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat: Stream banks, meadows, thic­kets, moraines in humus or alluvial soils.
Elevation: 400–3700 m.

Distribution

• Generated Map
• Legacy Map

Alta., B.C., Nfld. and Labr., N.S., Que., Yukon, Alaska, Colo., Idaho, Maine, Mont., N.Mex., Utah, Vt., Wash., Wyo.

Discussion

R. C. Barneby (1964) considered var. minor of the Rocky Mountains and eastern Alaska and southern Yukon (but now with some collections known from northern British Columbia) to be central in the species, with the remaining varieties maintaining their identity through accidents of isolation. D. Isely (1998) suggested that the disrupted range of this variety resulted from fragmentation of a once more widely distributed com­plex, noting that similar patterns are shown by some other astragali (specifically A. alpinus).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.