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balloon milkvetch, balloonpod milkvetch

Habit Plants perennial, caulescent, strigillose, hairs basifixed.
Stems

several–numerous, decumbent to erect, 2–40 cm.

Leaves

1–10 cm;

leaflets (5)9–21, oblong-oblanceolate, elliptic, or narrowly obovate, 2–21 × 1–5 mm;

tips obtuse to acute;

surfaces abaxially strigillose, adaxially strigose, glabrate, or glabrous;

stipules 1–5 mm; at least lowermost connate-sheathing.

Inflorescences

racemes loosely 3–16-flowered;

peduncles 1–9.5(12) cm;

bracts 1–3 mm;

pedicels 0.5–2.5 mm;

bracteoles usually 0.

Flowers

declined at anthesis;

calyces 4–9.3 mm, strigillose with white and black hairs;

tubes 3.5–5.9 mm;

teeth triangular, 0.5–3.6 mm;

corollas 8.3–17.2 mm, ochroleucous; pinkish white; lilac, or pink-purple;

ovules (13)15–30(32).

Fruits

unilocular, pendulous; bladdery inflated, obovoid to ellipsoid, 15–60(75) × (8)10–25(35) mm, usually red- or purple-mottled, glabrous or strigillose;

valves membranous;

stipes 2–9 mm.

Astragalus whitneyi

Distribution
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Western United States. 5 varieties; 3 varieties treated in Flora.

Source Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 677
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
Subordinate taxa
A. whitneyi var. confusus, A. whitneyi var. siskiyouensis, A. whitneyi var. sonneanus
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