Plants tuft-forming, shortly cau­lescent or subacaulescent, 1–5 cm, strigulose. Stems ascending-erect, strigulose. Leaves mostly clustered at stem base, 2.5–10 cm; stipules mostly all con­nate, 2–4.5 mm, submem­bra­nous; leaflets (9 or)11–15(–19), blades narrowly oblong-elliptic, linear-oblong, or oblong-obovate, (1–)2–8 mm, apex obtuse to subacute, surfaces strigulose abaxially, glabrous adaxially; terminal leaflet jointed to rachis. Peduncles incurved-ascending, 3–12(–15) cm. Racemes 2–8-flowered, flowers horizontal or nodding; axis (0.5–)1–8(–11) cm in fruit; bracts 1–1.5(–2) mm; bracteoles 0. Pedicels 1–4 mm. Flowers 9.5–13.2 mm; calyx 5–8.9 mm, strigulose, tube 3.6–6 mm, lobes subulate, 1.4–2.9 mm; corolla whitish or tinged with lavender, keel tip maculate; keel 7.3–10.2 mm. Legumes pendu­lous, often humistrate, brightly red-mottled, decurved, obliquely oblong-ellipsoid, inversely boat-shaped, ± 3-sided com­pressed, ventral suture convex in profile or at least beak declined from body, 13–22 × 4–6.5 mm, partly bilocular, fleshy becoming leathery, strigulose; septum incomplete, to 0.7 mm wide; stipe 1.5–3.5 mm. Seeds (14–)17–29.

Phenology: Flowering Apr–Jun.
Habitat: Dry sites, clay substrates, over­lying basalt, under sagebrush.
Elevation: 1000–1300 m.

Distribution

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Idaho, Nev., Oreg.

Discussion

Astragalus salmonis is known from Baker, Harney, Lake, and Malheur counties in Oregon, southward to Washoe, Elko, and Humboldt counties in Nevada and Owyhee County in Idaho.

Astragalus salmonis is closely related to A. atratus, consistently differing from that species only in its slightly broader fruit (D. Isely 1998).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.