Hedysarum occidentale var. occidentale
IllustratedEndemic
Synonyms: Hedysarum lancifolium Rydberg H. marginatum Greene H. uintahense A. Nelson
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 11.
Stems decumbent to erect, 1.2–9.5 dm. Leaves 3.5–15 cm; leaflets 11–19, blades 5–40 × 3–12 mm, usually 2–4 times longer than wide, not or rarely thickened, not especially deciduous. Racemes: axis 4–13 cm in fruit; peduncle (3–)6–15 cm. Flowers: corolla usually lilac- to pink-purple, rarely white, 16–22 mm.
Phenology: Flowering late spring–summer.
Habitat: Sagebrush, aspen, lodgepole pine, spruce-fir, and alpine tundra communities.
Elevation: 900–3400 m.
Distribution
B.C., Colo., Idaho, Mont., Utah, Wash., Wyo.
Discussion
Variety occidentale is apparently more closely allied with Hedysarum sulphurescens than with H. alpinum. However, the three taxa could easily be accommodated within an expanded H. alpinum, which is not proposed herein. Similar sequences of large-flowered phases and dwarf versus tall plants occur in all three taxa, and in each the extremes are connected completely by intermediates.
Selected References
None.
Lower Taxa
None.