Herbs acaulescent or subacau­lescent, to 16 cm, glandular (with obvious blond to dark brown glands) on leaflets, less so on bracts and stipules, mostly silver-strigose throughout. Stems short-erect, sometimes with proximal, decumbent lateral stems to 25 cm, unbranched or sparsely branched, leaves appearing clus­tered at base or alternate along short stem, with clus­ters of leaves or inflorescences distally; pseudo­scapes to 10(–14) cm; cataphylls 5–20 mm, glabrous or stri­gose. Leaves usually palmately, rarely pseudopalmately, (3–)5 or 6-foliolate; stipules persistent, triangular or lanceo­late to narrowly oblong, 5–13.5 × 2–5 mm, pubescent; petiole slightly enlarged and jointed basally, slightly canaliculate, (30–)65–150 mm; petiolules 1.5–2.5 mm; leaflet blades oblanceolate or orbiculate to elliptic, (1.5–)2–4.5 × (1.5–)2.3–4 cm, base attenuate, apex broadly acute to rounded or retuse, surfaces abaxially gray-green and pubescent, adaxially yellow-green and sparsely pubescent along veins to pubescent, not white-veined. Peduncles (1.5–)2.4–7 cm, shorter than sub­tending petiole, appressed-spreading pubescent. Inflo­rescences disjointing in age at peduncle base, ellip­soid to ovoid; rachis 1.5–1.6 cm, elongating to 2–5.5 cm in fruit, nodes 3–11, 2 or 3 flowers per node; bracts tardily deciduous or persistent, narrowly elliptic or spatulate to oval, 3.5–8 × 3–7 mm, pubescent. Pedicels 0–2 mm. Flowers 9–13 mm; calyx gibbous-campanulate in fruit, 10–12 mm abaxially (elongating to 20 mm in fruit), 9–10.5 mm to adaxial lobe (elongating to 14 mm in fruit), usually eglandular, strigose to setose; tube 3–4 mm; abaxial lobe broadly oblanceolate, 4–5 × 4–4.5 mm, often with 3 prominent veins, adaxial lobes linear, 4–5 × 1–1.5 mm; corolla ochroleucous with purple tinge to purple, banner usually elliptic, 9–13 × 3.5–5 mm with claw 2–4 mm, wings 10–13 × 2 mm with claw 4–4.5 mm, keel 6.5–8 × 2 mm with claw 3–4 mm; filaments 6–7.5 mm; anthers elliptic, 0.4 mm; ovary pubescent apically, style glabrous, sometimes pubescent basally. Legumes ellipsoid to ovoid, 6–8 × 5–6 mm, eglandular, strigose, beak 8–11(–15) mm, equal to or longer than calyx. Seed gray-green to dark brown, narrowly reniform, 5.5–6 × 3.5–4 mm, rugose, dull.

Phenology: Flowering spring.
Habitat: Sand or sandy soils, open desert scrub communities.
Elevation: 400–1000 m.

Distribution

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Ariz., Calif., Nev.

Discussion

Pediomelum castoreum is known from Mohave County in Arizona, San Bernardino County in California, and Clark and Lincoln counties in Nevada.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.