Herbs perennial, caulescent; caudex usually subterranean, rarely superficial. Hairs basifixed. Stems single or few to many. Stipules connate or distally distinct. Leaves odd-pinnate, short-petiolate or subsessile; leaflets 13–29(or 31). Racemes densely flowered (subcapitate), flowers ascending or erect. Calyx tubes cylindric or subcylindric, [deeply campanulate]. Corollas pink-purple, whitish, or ochroleucous, banner recurved little, to 25°, keel apex obtuse. Legumes persistent, short-stipitate or subsessile, ascending to spreading or erect, oblong-ellipsoid, or obovoid to subglobose, 3-sided and grooved dorsally or inflated, ± straight, bilocular. Seeds [8–]14–26.

Distribution

w, c North America, Europe, Asia.

Discussion

Species 46 (3 in the flora).

Section Hypoglottidei includes species from Asia and Europe, with one native to the northwestern United States and two introduced in the flora area as forage or reclamation plants. In addition to Astragalus cicer, which is widespread, 355. A. tibetanus is also introduced but presently established only in a small area of Wyoming; it is not included in the key to species but will key there to A. agrestis, from which it differs in having calyces that are strigulose and sometimes also pilosulous (versus villous); corollas that are blue-violet, often drying yellowish (versus usually pink-purple, sometimes ochroleucous or nearly white); legumes that are 12–15 × 3 mm (versus 7–10 × 2.8–4.5 mm), hirsutulous with white hairs (versus densely silky-villous), and with stipes 0.5 mm (versus 0.3–1 mm).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Astragalus agrestis, Astragalus cicer, Astragalus tibetanus