Herbs perennial, tufted, diminutive, mat-forming, or pulvinate, usually acaulescent, rarely subacaulescent; caudex superficial. Hairs malpighian, herbage usually silvery. Stems mostly reduced to crowns, usually obscured by marcescent leaf bases or stipules. Stipules connate. Leaves dimorphic, most proximal ones reduced to phyllodia, sessile; leaflets 0(or 3–7), jointed. Racemes sometimes subumbellate, loosely or compactly flowered, flowers ascending. Calyx tubes campanulate or turbinate-campanulate. Corollas pink to purple, ochroleucous, or whitish, banner recurved through 45–90°, keel apex obtuse. Legumes eventually deciduous or nearly persistent, sessile, erect or ascending (humistrate), ellipsoid to linear, oblong, or lanceoloid, usually laterally compressed, with sutures protruding, sometimes bluntly 3-sided and sulcate abaxially, unilocular. Seeds 4–24.

Distribution

w North America.

Discussion

Species 5 (5 in the flora).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Astragalus chloödes, Astragalus detritalis, Astragalus drabelliformis, Astragalus simplicifolius, Astragalus spatulatus