Astragalus cyaneus

Plants acaulescent or subacau­lescent, 10–15 cm, strigulose, hairs basifixed; from superficial caudex. Stems reduced to crowns or developed, to 6 cm, internodes to 1.5 cm, strigulose. Leaves 6–18 cm; stipules 4–9 mm, papery; leaflets (15 or)17–29, blades obovate to elliptic, 4–19 mm, apex obtuse, acute, or retuse, surfaces strigulose. Peduncles ascending, (4–)6–13 cm. Racemes loosely (9–)12–22(–25)-flowered, flowers spreading or declined; axis 15–25 cm in fruit; bracts 2.5–6 mm; bracteoles 2. Pedicels 1–4.5 mm. Flowers 18–22 mm; calyx cylindric to deeply and broadly campanulate, 11.3–15 mm, strigulose, tube 8.2–10.6 mm, lobes subulate or lanceolate-subulate, 2.3–4.6 mm; corolla pink-purple; banner recurved through 40°; keel 16.3–18 mm. Legumes ascending (humistrate), green or purple-tinged becoming stramineous or brownish, gently recurved, obliquely oblong-ellipsoid, obcompressed in proximal 1/2, 25–50 × 7–13 mm, unilocular or appearing partially bilocular, valves 1–2 mm thick, thickly fleshy becoming rigidly woody, strongly reticulate, strigulose; didymous, septum forming a narrowly tubular or 3-sided cavity throughout, sutures subcontiguous. Seeds (35–)39–48. 2n = 22.

Phenology: Flowering late Apr–Jun.
Habitat: Dry hillsides, gullied banks, on sandy or gravelly granitic soils, with pinyon-juniper associations.
Elevation: 2100–2300 m.

Distribution

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N.Mex.

Discussion

Astragalus cyaneus is locally plentiful but uncommon, known only from the eastern side of the Rio Grande in north-central New Mexico.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.