Burke: Astragalus columbianus vs. Astragalus filipes

	Astragalus columbianus	Astragalus filipes
	Columbian milk-vetch	basalt milk-vetch
Habit		Greenish perennial from a taproot and branched crown, the numerous, erect, slender stems 3-9 dm. tall.
Leaves		Leaves alternate, pinnate, 5-10 cm. long; leaflets 9-25, linear-oblanceolate, 7-20 mm. long and 1-2 mm. wide; stipules triangular, 1-3 mm. long, united below and free above.
Flowers		Inflorescence of laxly 10- to 30-flowered racemes on peduncles up to 2 dm. long, exceeding the leaves; pedicles slender, 2-6 mm. long; flowers pea-like, cream colored, 9-13 mm. long, spreading to pendant; calyx blackish, 4-6 mm. long, the 5 teeth under 1 mm. long; banner erect; wings rounded, shorter than the banner but 1-4 mm. longer than the slightly beaked keel; stamens 10.
Fruits		Pod spreading to pendulous, with a slender stipe 10-15 mm. long, the body membranous, greenish, usually glabrous, linear to oblong-elliptic in outline, 15-35 mm. long and 4-6 mm. wide, strongly compressed, elliptic in cross section, 1-celled.

	Astragalus columbianus	Astragalus filipes
Flowering time	April-May	May-June
Habitat	Dry, open areas in shrub-steppe.	Sagebrush plains and lower foothills.
Distribution	Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington, where endemic to south-central Washington. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to northeast California, east to Nevada and Idaho. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin	Native	Native
Conservation status	Sensitive in Washington (WANHP)	Not of concern
Sibling taxa	A. agrestis, A. alpinus, A. arrectus, A. arthuri, A. arthurii, A. asotinensis, A. australis, A. beckwithii, A. canadensis, A. caricinus, A. cicer, A. collinus, A. conjunctus, A. cusickii, A. diaphanus, A. eucosmus, A. falcatus, A. filipes, A. geyeri, A. hoodianus, A. howellii, A. inflexus, A. kentrophyta, A. laxmannii, A. leibergii, A. lentiginosus, A. lyallii, A. microcystis, A. misellus, A. miser, A. pulsiferae, A. purshii, A. reventiformis, A. reventus, A. riparius, A. robbinsii, A. sclerocarpus, A. sheldonii, A. sinuatus, A. spaldingii, A. speirocarpus, A. succumbens, A. tenellus, A. tweedyi, A. whitneyi	A. agrestis, A. alpinus, A. arrectus, A. arthuri, A. arthurii, A. asotinensis, A. australis, A. beckwithii, A. canadensis, A. caricinus, A. cicer, A. collinus, A. columbianus, A. conjunctus, A. cusickii, A. diaphanus, A. eucosmus, A. falcatus, A. geyeri, A. hoodianus, A. howellii, A. inflexus, A. kentrophyta, A. laxmannii, A. leibergii, A. lentiginosus, A. lyallii, A. microcystis, A. misellus, A. miser, A. pulsiferae, A. purshii, A. reventiformis, A. reventus, A. riparius, A. robbinsii, A. sclerocarpus, A. sheldonii, A. sinuatus, A. spaldingii, A. speirocarpus, A. succumbens, A. tenellus, A. tweedyi, A. whitneyi
Web links	Local floras: 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: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Astragalus filipes

Columbian milk-vetch

basalt milk-vetch

Habit

Greenish perennial from a taproot and branched crown, the numerous, erect, slender stems 3-9 dm. tall.

Leaves

Leaves alternate, pinnate, 5-10 cm. long;

leaflets 9-25, linear-oblanceolate, 7-20 mm. long and 1-2 mm. wide;

stipules triangular, 1-3 mm. long, united below and free above.

Flowers

Inflorescence of laxly 10- to 30-flowered racemes on peduncles up to 2 dm. long, exceeding the leaves; pedicles slender, 2-6 mm. long;

flowers pea-like, cream colored, 9-13 mm. long, spreading to pendant;

calyx blackish, 4-6 mm. long, the 5 teeth under 1 mm. long;

banner erect;

wings rounded, shorter than the banner but 1-4 mm. longer than the slightly beaked keel;

stamens 10.

Fruits

Pod spreading to pendulous, with a slender stipe 10-15 mm. long, the body membranous, greenish, usually glabrous, linear to oblong-elliptic in outline, 15-35 mm. long and 4-6 mm. wide, strongly compressed, elliptic in cross section, 1-celled.