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Spalding's milkvetch

Habit Plants perennial, caulescent, canescent-villous, hairs basifixed.
Stems

numerous, prostrate, decumbent, or ascending, 10–50 cm.

Leaves

2.5–13 cm;

leaflets (9)15–25(29), narrowly elliptic to oblanceolate, 4–18 × 1–4.5 mm;

tips obtuse to acute;

surfaces villous or villous-pilose;

stipules 2.5–8 mm; free.

Inflorescences

racemes dense, closely crowded, elongating and spiciform with age; (6)12–30-flowered;

peduncles 3–10 cm;

bracts 1.5–4.5 mm;

pedicels 0.2–0.8 mm;

bracteoles 0.

Flowers

spreading at anthesis;

calyces 5–8.3 mm, white villous or villous-tomentose;

tubes (2.5)3.1–4.5 mm;

teeth narrowly subulate, 2–4.2 mm;

corollas 7–11.7 mm; whitish, often lavender-tinged, glabrous;

ovules 4–10.

Fruits

bilocular, enclosed by persistent calyces, spreading or ascending, obliquely ovoid; straight; somewhat compressed; (3.5)4–6 × 2.5–3.5 mm, densely villous-tomentulose;

valves thickly papery;

stipes 0–0.3 mm.

2n

=24.

Astragalus crassicarpus

Astragalus spaldingii

Distribution
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Slopes and roadside banks, sagebrush and bunchgrass communities. Flowering Apr–Jul. 300–1300 m. BW, Col. ID, WA. Native.

This species is readily distinguished by its spike-like racemes of small, crowded, pallid flowers and small, densely pubescent ovoid fruits enclosed for most of their length by the persistent calyces.

Source Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 674
Richard Halse
Sibling taxa
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. 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. 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. sterilis, A. succumbens, A. tegetarioides, A. tetrapterus, A. toanus, A. tweedyi, A. tyghensis, A. umbraticus, A. vallaris, A. whitneyi
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