Oxytropis deflexa
Astragalogia (qto.), 28, 96; (fol.), 22, 77. 1802.
Plants cespitose, caulescent or subacaulescent, sometimes appearing acaulescent, (5–)7–48 cm, herbage pilose, villous-pilose, long-villous, or sericeous, hairs spreading or retrorse; stems flexuous, with (0 or)1–7 internodes. Leaves 2–22 cm; stipules subherbaceous, light tan, grayish, or purplish, well separated on stem, 7–20 mm, ± pilose abaxially, margins ± ciliate; leaflets (9–)15–41, opposite or subopposite, blades ovate, lanceolate, or lanceolate-oblong, 3–25 × 1–8(–11) mm, apex acute to obtuse, surfaces pilose or glabrous adaxially. Peduncles 3.5–32(–36) cm, axis 3.5–10 cm in fruit, villous-pilose; bract linear to lanceolate-oblong, pilose. Racemes (2–)4–25[–30+]-flowered, extending beyond leaves. Calyces campanulate, 3–8 mm, villous-pilose, hairs stiff, black; tube 2–3.5(–4.5) mm, lobes 1.5–5 mm. Corollas bright pink-purple, purple, or whitish and sometimes suffused with purple, [lilac or blue-purple], 5–10.5(–12) mm. Legumes spreading-declined, subsessile to short-stipitate, oblong to ellipsoid, 8–18 × 3–4.5 mm, subunilocular, thinly papery, pilosulous, hairs white and/or black. 2n = 16.
Distribution
North America, Europe (Norway), n Asia.
Discussion
Varieties 5 (3 in the flora).
Two European and Asian varieties are known: var. lapponica (Wahlenberg) B. Boivin is known from northern Europe; var. deflexa is found in Siberia, and can be distinguished from var. pulcherrima by elongate racemes, smaller flowers, and slender fruits (S. L. Welsh 1995b).
Selected References
None.
Lower Taxa
Key
| 1 | Corollas usually dirty white or variously suffused with purple; racemes usually 10–25-flowered, subcylindric, usually much elongate in fruit; herbage usually conspicuously long-villous; usually of open sites. | Oxytropis deflexa var. sericea |
| 1 | Corollas bright pink-purple or purple; racemes (2–)4–20-flowered, hemispheric or subcapitate to shortly subcylindric, slightly elongate in fruit; herbage pilose, villous-pilose, or sericeous; often of woods, thickets, or tundra. | > 2 |
| 2 | Racemes usually 10–20-flowered; herbage copiously and loosely villous-pilose or sericeous. | Oxytropis deflexa var. pulcherrima |
| 2 | Racemes usually (2–)4–10-flowered; herbage sparsely pilose, not sericeous. | Oxytropis deflexa var. foliolosa |