The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links
Astragalus succumbens

Columbia milkvetch, crouching milkvetch

Arthur's milkvetch, Waha milkvetch

Habit Plants perennial, caulescent, densely to thinly grayish hirsute, hairs basifixed. Plants perennial, subacaulescent to caulescent, strigillose, hairs basifixed.
Stems

several, decumbent to erect, 2–40(50) cm.

several, ascending to erect, forming bushy clumps, 2–40 cm.

Leaves

3–10(11) cm;

leaflets (7)9–19, oblong to oblong-ovate, obovate to elliptic, 5–19 × 3–9 mm;

tips acute to obtuse or retuse;

surfaces abaxially hirsute, adaxially hirsute to glabrescent;

stipules (1.5)2.5–8(9) mm; free.

4–14 cm;

leaflets (15)19–27, linear-elliptic; oval or oblanceolate, 2–20 × 2–4 mm;

tips obtuse to subacute, truncate-mucronulate or shallowly retuse;

surfaces abaxially strigillose, adaxially glabrous;

stipules 2–7 mm; free.

Inflorescences

racemes densely 10–25-flowered;

peduncles 1.5–5.5 cm;

bracts (2.5)4–12 mm;

pedicels 0.5–2.3 mm;

bracteoles 0–2.

racemes loosely (5)8–20-flowered;

peduncles (7)10–20 cm;

bracts 1.5–3.5 mm;

pedicels 1–4 mm;

bracteoles usually 0.

Flowers

spreading-ascending at anthesis;

calyces 9.5–13(15) mm; hirsute to hirsutulous with all white or white with some black hairs;

tubes 7–8.6 mm;

teeth subulate to linear-lanceolate, 2.5–5.5 mm;

corollas 14–20(23) mm, bicolored;

banners pink to white;

wings white;

keels pink to purple;

tips spotted;

ovules 27–38.

declined at anthesis;

calyces 6.6–8.8 mm, strigose with mixed black and white hairs;

tubes 4.5–6 mm;

teeth lance-subulate 1.8–3.5 mm;

corollas 11.7–15.2 mm, ochroleucous;

ovules 16–30.

Fruits

bilocular, ascending, lunately linear-lanceolate or -oblong, arcuate to straight, triquetrous, strongly compressed, deeply sulcate dorsally; (20)25–40 × 4–8 mm, glabrous;

valves cartilaginous;

stipes 0.

bilocular, pendulous, linear-ellipsoid, compressed-triquetrous, tapering distally into a slender acuminate beak, nearly straight or gently incurved, deeply sulcate; (25)30–40 × 2.5–4 mm, strigillose;

valves papery;

stipes 6–15 mm.

2n

=24.

=24.

Astragalus succumbens

Astragalus arthuri

Distribution
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Sandy hills and dunes, roadbanks, sagebrush. Flowering Apr–Jul. 50–900 m. Col. WA. Native.

Open coniferous forests, grassland slopes, meadows. Flowering May–Jul. 400–1400 m. BW. ID, WA. Native.

Early flowering plants appear subacaulescent as the leaves are in loose basal tufts, and the peduncles appear subscapose. Later in the season, the plants are more obviously caulescent, but even then the peduncles and racemes are longer than the stems. This feature plus the long slender linear pods help distinguish this species.

Source Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 674
Richard Halse
Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 658
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. 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. 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
Web links