Herbs annual or winter-annual, caulescent; root-crown superficial. Hairs basifixed. Stems few to several. Stipules distinct. Leaves odd-pinnate, petiolate or subsessile; leaflets (9–)13–19[–23]. Racemes densely flowered, flowers spreading becoming declined. Calyx tubes shallowly campanulate. Corollas whitish with lilac tips, or bicolored, banner purple margined, wing tips white and keel tip maculate, banner recurved through 45°, keel apex triangular, acute or subacute, usually slightly beaklike. Legumes deciduous, sessile, gynophore present, deflexed, broadly ovoid, subglobose, or transversely oblong in dorsiventral view, very strongly obcompressed, peltiform or scutiform, straight or gently incurved, bilocular. Seeds 4[–12].

Distribution

Texas, n Mexico.

Discussion

Species 2 (1 in the flora).

Section Scutanei consists of one species in southern Texas and Tamaulipas, and another, Astragalus scutaneus Barneby, in Jalisco, Mexico. Both have the strongly obcompressed fruits that are peltiform or scutiform. The two species may not be closely related (R. C. Barneby 1964).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Astragalus brazoensis