Plants cespitose, appearing acaulescent, 4–30 cm, glandular-viscid, especially stipules and calyces, herbage spreading-hairy. Leaves 1–25 cm; stipules membranous, light tan or gray­ish, 8–21 mm, often with debris adhering, usually prominently glandular, pilose or glabrous abaxially, margins ciliate; leaflets 17–39+, blades oblong to lanceolate or elliptic, 1.5–22 × 1–6 mm, apex acute or obtuse, surfaces pilose or glabrous, often glandular. Peduncles 1–27 cm, axis 0.5–19 cm in fruit, hirsute, pilose, or villous-pilose, hairs spreading; bract lanceolate to lanceolate-linear, shorter than or surpassing calyx, glandular or glabrous, margins ciliate. Racemes 3–19+-flowered, dense or nearly capitate. Calyces cylindric to shortly so, villous, hairs black and white; tube 4–7 mm, lobes 1–5(–8) mm, usually glandular. Corollas whitish, yellowish, ochroleucous, lilac, purple, bluish, or pink-purple, keel tip maculate or not, (9–)11–18(–21) mm. Legumes mostly erect, sessile, ovoid to subcylindric, 8–21(–30) × 4–7 mm, bilocular or incom­pletely so, glandular, strigose to pilose.

Distribution

North America, Asia.

Discussion

Varieties 5 (5 in the flora).

Considerable confusion has existed over typification of Oxytropis borealis (S. L. Welsh 1990). The relation­ships of this species with several Eurasian taxa in sect. Gloeocephala Bunge are not well understood (R. C. Barneby 1952b).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Oxytropis borealis var. australis, Oxytropis borealis var. borealis, Oxytropis borealis var. hudsonica, Oxytropis borealis var. sulphurea, Oxytropis borealis var. viscida

Key

1	Racemes subcapitate or nearly so, 5–10-flowered; wing petal blades dilated distally to 3.5–5 mm; leaflets (17 or)19–27(–37).	Oxytropis borealis var. borealis
1	Racemes elongate, or subcapitate and elongating in fruit; wing petal blades not especially dilated distally, 2–3 mm, or if wider, then inflorescence not subcapitate; leaflets 17–39+.	> 2
2	Peduncles 2.5–7 cm; calyx lobes 1–1.5 mm, not or obscurely tuberculate.	Oxytropis borealis var. hudsonica
2	Peduncles (1–)4–27 cm; calyx lobes 1–4(–4.5) mm, prominently tuberculate.	> 3
3	Corollas white or bluish, keel tips maculate; inflorescence axis often (2–)3–15 cm in fruit; se continental Alaska, n British Columbia, s Yukon.	Oxytropis borealis var. sulphurea
3	Corollas white, ochroleucous, pink-purple, lilac, or yellowish, keel tips maculate or not; inflorescence axis often (1.5–)4–19 cm in fruit; Alaska to n, nc United States.	> 4
4	Corollas pink-purple, lilac, whitish, or yellow; leaflet blades not thick or stiff; plants glandular.	Oxytropis borealis var. viscida
4	Corollas usually white or ochroleucous, rarely fading bluish; leaflet blades thick and stiff; plants markedly viscid.	Oxytropis borealis var. australis