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Pursh's milkvetch, woollypod milkvetch

basalt milkvetch, Idaho milkvetch, stiff milkvetch

Habit Plants perennial, acaulescent to shortly caulescent, densely villous to villous-tomentose, hairs basifixed. Plants perennial, subacaulescent to shortly caulescent, strigillose, hairs basifixed.
Stems

prostrate, loosely to densely tufted, 0–20 cm.

several–numerous, ascending to erect; in clumps, 15–65 cm.

Leaves

1–12(17) cm;

leaflets (3)5–17(21), elliptic to oblanceolate, 2–14(20) × 1–7 mm;

tips obtuse to acute;

surfaces densely villous;

stipules 2.5–15 mm; free.

leaflets (9)13–25(31), linear-oblong, linear-elliptic, lanceolate, or sub-filiform, 3–23 × 0.7–3(4) mm;

tips obtuse; acute or retuse;

surfaces abaxially pubescent, adaxially pubescent, glabrate, or glabrous;

terminal leaflets sometimes confluent with rachis;

stipules 3–11 mm; at least lowermost connate-sheathing.

Inflorescences

racemes or subumbels, 1–12-flowered;

peduncles 1–14 cm;

bracts 4–9 mm;

pedicels 2–4.3 mm;

bracteoles 0–2.

racemes loosely 7–17(20)-flowered;

peduncles 10–33 cm;

bracts 2–4.5 mm;

pedicels 1–4.5 mm;

bracteoles 0–2.

Flowers

ascending at anthesis;

calyces 5.5–16(19) mm, often purple, villous-pilose with white or mixed white and black hairs;

tubes 8.5–12.5 mm;

teeth subulate, 2.2–6 mm;

corollas 19–27 mm; whitish to ochroleucous or pink-purple;

ovules 14–40(46).

ascending to spreading at anthesis;

calyces (7)8.5–12 mm; greenish strigillose with black or mostly black hairs;

tubes 4.9–9.2 mm;

teeth subulate, 1.3–3(4) mm;

corollas 15–26 mm; whitish, sometimes tipped with purple or rarely purple throughout;

ovules 15–30.

Fruits

unilocular, ascending, obliquely ovoid, usually curved, obcompressed, scarcely to deeply sulcate; (7)13–27(30) × 3.5–11 mm, densely white to tawny tomentose or densely villous;

hairs nearly always concealing valve surfaces;

valves coriaceous, sessile or on gynophores 0–1.6 mm.

unilocular to semibilocular; erect, oblong-ellipsoid to oblong-ovoid; straight or slightly incurved, obcompressed; dorsal surface almost flat to shallowly sulcate, 12–25 × 4–8(10) mm, transversely rugulose;

valves coriaceous to subligneous;

stipes 0.

Astragalus purshii

Astragalus conjunctus

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

Western North America. ~8 varieties; 4 varieties treated in Flora.

Throughout western North America, particularly in the Intermountain Region, this is a low, tufted milkvetch with white or gray villous hairs and pods resembling balls of cotton. Barneby (1964) stated, “Attempts to devise a practical key to the varieties of A. purshii are never wholly successful.” Variety ophiogenes, the Snake River milkvetch, a native of Idaho, has been reported from Malheur County, but this is apparently based on misidentifications of A. purshii var. lagopinus. Variety ophiogenes has 3–11-flowered racemes and 9–17 leaflets.

Astragalus conjunctus is closely related to A. hoodianus. A third closely related species, A. reventiformis, has been reported from Sherman County, but no voucher has been found to con­firm its presence in Oregon.

Source Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 671
Richard Halse
Flora of Oregon, volume 2 draft
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. 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
A. purshii var. glareosus, A. purshii var. lagopinus, A. purshii var. purshii, A. purshii var. tinctus
A. conjunctus var. conjunctus, A. conjunctus var. rickardii
Synonyms Astragalus purshii var. ophiogenes
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