OregonFlora: Astragalus beckwithii vs. Astragalus malacus

	Astragalus beckwithii	Astragalus malacus
	Weiser's milkvetch	shaggy milkvetch
Habit		Plants perennial, caulescent, prominently grayish hirsute to pilose, hairs basifixed.
Stems		several, decumbent to erect, 2–30 cm.
Leaves		4–15 cm; leaflets 7–21, elliptic to obovate, 5–20(22) × 4–8(13) mm; tips obtuse; retuse or subacute, sometimes minutely apiculate; surfaces abaxially pubescent, adaxially pubescent or glabrescent; stipules 7–17 mm; free.
Inflorescences		racemes loosely 9–35-flowered; peduncles 4–11 cm; bracts 4–9 mm; pedicels 0.7–3 mm; bracteoles 2.
Flowers		declined at anthesis; calyces 8.6–14 mm, often purplish-tinged; hirsute with black or mixture of black and white hairs; tubes 6–10 mm; teeth subulate, 1.5–5 mm; corollas 12–19 mm; reddish purple; ovules 15–24.
Fruits		bilocular, declined, narrowly oblong or oblong-elliptic, shallowly to deeply incurved, dorsally deeply sulcate, triquetrously compressed, 18–38 × 4.5–6 mm; shaggy hirsute; valves stiffly papery; stipes 1–3 mm.

	Astragalus beckwithii	Astragalus malacus
Distribution	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Discussion		Sagebrush, rocky slopes. Flowering Apr–Jun. 700–1900 m. BR, ECas, Owy. CA, ID, NV. Native.
Source		Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 668 Richard Halse
Sibling taxa	A. accidens, A. agrestis, A. alpinus, A. alvordensis, A. applegatei, A. arthuri, A. atratus, A. australis, A. californicus, A. calycosus, A. canadensis, A. caricinus, A. collinus, A. conjunctus, A. curvicarpus, A. cusickii, A. diaphanus, A. drummondii, A. eremiticus, A. filipes, A. gambellianus, A. geyeri, A. hoodianus, A. howellii, A. inflexus, A. iodanthus, A. kentrophyta, A. lemmonii, A. lentiginosus, A. malacus, A. misellus, A. mulfordiae, A. multiflorus, A. newberryi, A. nudisiliquus, A. obscurus, A. peckii, A. platytropis, A. purshii, A. reventus, A. robbinsii, A. salmonis, A. sclerocarpus, A. sheldonii, A. solitarius, A. spaldingii, A. sterilis, A. succumbens, A. tegetarioides, A. tetrapterus, A. toanus, A. tweedyi, A. tyghensis, A. umbraticus, A. vallaris, A. whitneyi	A. accidens, A. agrestis, A. alpinus, A. alvordensis, A. applegatei, A. arthuri, A. atratus, A. australis, A. beckwithii, A. californicus, A. calycosus, A. canadensis, A. caricinus, A. collinus, A. conjunctus, A. curvicarpus, A. cusickii, A. diaphanus, A. drummondii, A. eremiticus, A. filipes, A. gambellianus, A. geyeri, A. hoodianus, A. howellii, A. inflexus, A. iodanthus, A. kentrophyta, A. lemmonii, A. lentiginosus, A. misellus, A. mulfordiae, A. multiflorus, A. newberryi, A. nudisiliquus, A. obscurus, A. peckii, A. platytropis, A. purshii, A. reventus, A. robbinsii, A. salmonis, A. sclerocarpus, A. sheldonii, A. solitarius, A. spaldingii, A. sterilis, A. succumbens, A. tegetarioides, A. tetrapterus, A. toanus, A. tweedyi, A. tyghensis, A. umbraticus, A. vallaris, A. whitneyi
Subordinate taxa	A. beckwithii var. weiserensis
Web links	Local floras: BC, OR, WA Local Web sites: Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local floras: CA, OR Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Astragalus beckwithii

Astragalus malacus

Weiser's milkvetch

shaggy milkvetch

Habit

Plants perennial, caulescent, prominently grayish hirsute to pilose, hairs basifixed.

Stems

several, decumbent to erect, 2–30 cm.

Leaves

4–15 cm;

leaflets 7–21, elliptic to obovate, 5–20(22) × 4–8(13) mm;

tips obtuse; retuse or subacute, sometimes minutely apiculate;

surfaces abaxially pubescent, adaxially pubescent or glabrescent;

stipules 7–17 mm; free.

Inflorescences

racemes loosely 9–35-flowered;

peduncles 4–11 cm;

bracts 4–9 mm;

pedicels 0.7–3 mm;

bracteoles 2.

Flowers

declined at anthesis;

calyces 8.6–14 mm, often purplish-tinged; hirsute with black or mixture of black and white hairs;

tubes 6–10 mm;

teeth subulate, 1.5–5 mm;

corollas 12–19 mm; reddish purple;

ovules 15–24.

Fruits

bilocular, declined, narrowly oblong or oblong-elliptic, shallowly to deeply incurved, dorsally deeply sulcate, triquetrously compressed, 18–38 × 4.5–6 mm; shaggy hirsute;

valves stiffly papery;

stipes 1–3 mm.