Plants perennial, loosely tuft-forming, vigorous, 5–35(–45) cm, strigulose, hairs basifixed. Stems erect and ascending, in clumps, sparsely strigulose. Leaves 7–20 cm; stipules 1–4 mm, membranous becoming papery; leaflets (17 or)19–25(or 27), blades ovate, elliptic, or obovate to obcordate, 3–12 mm, apex retuse or obtuse, surfaces sparsely strigulose abaxially, silvery-canescent adaxially. Peduncles arising from near or proximal to middle of stem, erect and ascending, 9–20 cm, together with racemes as long as or longer than stems. Racemes (5–)7–12(–15)-flowered, flowers spreading-ascending; axis (4–)6–18 cm in fruit; bracts 1–2.4 mm; bracteoles 0–2. Pedicels 1–4.8 mm. Flowers 12.6–15.7 mm; calyx 6.1–7.6 mm, strigulose-villosulous, tube 4.1–5 mm, lobes subulate, 2–2.8 mm; corolla ochroleucous; banner recurved through 45°; keel 9.7–11 mm, apex bluntly deltate. Legumes ascending, stramineous, slightly incurved, linear-lanceoloid, 3-sided compressed, 24–42 × 3.5–5.5 mm, thin becoming papery, glabrous; gyno­phore stout, (0.8–)1.2–2.5 mm. Seeds 20–24.

Phenology: Flowering Feb–May.
Habitat: Gravelly slopes and canyons, with Larrea and Encelia farinosa.
Elevation: 400–600(–1300) m.

Distribution

• Generated Map
• Legacy Map

Calif.

Discussion

Leaflets of Astragalus tricarinatus are numerous and irregularly spaced, early deciduous, the basal leaves often naked by anthesis, persisting as stiff, sharp, rachises. It occupies a range of approximately 80 km in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.