Astragalus saurinus

Plants robust, rushlike, clump-forming, 25–45 cm, finely strig­ulose; from shallow, subter­ranean caudex. Stems erect or ascending, finely strigulose. Leaves compound proximally, unifoliolate or reduced to phyllodia distally, sometimes unifoliolate throughout, 2.5–9 cm; stipules connate-sheathing and papery-scarious at proximal nodes, connate or distinct and herbaceous with scarious margins becoming papery at distal nodes, 1.2–7 mm; leaflets (0 or 1–)3–9, blades linear to linear-elliptic, 10–28 mm, apex obtuse to acute, surfaces strigose; terminal leaflet decurrent, not jointed to rachis. Peduncles erect, 7–21 cm. Racemes 3–15-flowered, flowers ascending-spreading; axis 0.5–6 cm in fruit; bracts 1.2–2 mm; bracteoles 1 or 2. Pedicels 1.5–3 mm. Flowers 18–22 mm; calyx 6.4–9.6 mm, strigulose, tube 5.6–6.7 × 2.8–5.2 mm, lobes triangular-subulate, 0.9–2.9 mm; corolla usually pink-purple with white wing tips, rarely white throughout; keel 12–16 mm. Legumes deflexed or declined, stramineous, straight or slightly incurved, narrowly oblong, laterally compressed, bicar­inate by sutures, (15–)20–35 × 4.4–6(–7) mm, thinly fleshy becoming stiffly papery, terminal cusp 0.5–1 mm, strigose to glabrate; sessile or subsessile. Seeds 19–29. 2n = 22.

Phenology: Flowering late Apr–Jul.
Habitat: Salt desert shrub and pinyon-juniper communities.
Elevation: 1400–1800 m.

Distribution

• Generated Map
• Legacy Map

Utah.

Discussion

Astragalus saurinus, with its bicolored flowers, is restricted to Uintah County. As is the case with other selenophytes, it is largely avoided by grazing ungulates, lagomorphs, and rodents.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.