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Photo is of parent taxon

Lepage's milkvetch

Photo is of parent taxon

aboriginal milkvetch

Stems

sprawling to ascending, (8–)24–40 cm.

ascending, 10–50 cm.

Leaves

3–9 cm;

sessile or petiolate;

leaflets (5–)9–15, blades elliptic to lanceolate, lanceolate-oblong, linear-lanceolate, or linear, 6–33 mm, apex acute to apiculate, surfaces glabrous, strigulose, pilosulous, or villous.

1–7(–10) cm;

sessile;

leaflets 5–19, blades linear to oblong, lanceolate, or elliptic, 3–27(–35) mm, apex acute to obtuse, surfaces glabrous, strigose, or villous.

Racemes

densely to loosely 8–29(–32)-flowered;

axis 3–14 cm in fruit.

densely 6–40-flowered;

axis 1.5–15 cm in fruit.

Peduncles

(4–)4.5–10 cm.

(2–)6.5–15 cm.

Flowers

(10.5–)11.5–13.8(–14.5) mm;

calyx (4.7–)4.8–6.5 mm, tube 2.8–5 mm, lobes (1–)1.4–2.4 mm.

7–12.5 mm;

calyx 4–7 mm, tube 3–4 mm, lobes 1.5–3 mm;

corolla whitish to purplish.

Corollas

whitish to purplish.

Legumes

obliquely ellipsoid to narrowly oblong, (10–)15–30 × (3–)6–8.5 mm, glabrous;

stipe (3–)5–7 mm.

obliquely ellipsoid to narrowly oblong, seldom bladdery, 10–30 × 3–7(–9) mm, glabrous or sometimes strigose;

stipe 2.5–8 mm.

Seeds

8–16.

2n

= 16.

Astragalus australis var. lepagei

Astragalus australis var. glabriusculus

Phenology Flowering Jun–Jul. Flowering May–Aug.
Habitat Spits, gravel bars, slopes, ridge crests, in mixed tundra. Gravel bars, stony shores, talus, ridge crests, meadows.
Elevation 0–400 m. (0–1300 ft.) 20–3700 m. (100–12100 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; YT
from FNA
CO; ID; MT; ND; NM; NV; OR; SD; UT; WY; AB; BC; MB; NT; NU; ON; QC; SK; YT
Discussion

R. C. Barneby (1964) provided an extensive and detailed overview of the variation within this variety (as Astragalus aboriginorum) and the taxonomy that was applied in an attempt to adequately classify the variation. To the north, distinction from var. muriei is debatable, but to the south, leaves are almost uniformly sessile. Still, along the cordillera are a great many morphological variants, some possibly worthy of taxonomic recognition.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 11. FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Astragalus > sect. Hemiphragmium > Astragalus australis Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Astragalus > sect. Hemiphragmium > Astragalus australis
Sibling taxa
A. australis var. glabriusculus, A. australis var. muriei, A. australis var. olympicus
A. australis var. lepagei, A. australis var. muriei, A. australis var. olympicus
Synonyms A. lepagei Phaca glabriuscula, A. aboriginorum, A. forwoodii var. wallowensis, A. richardsonii, A. scrupulicola
Name authority (Hultén) S. L. Welsh: Great Basin Naturalist 58: 47. (1998) (Hooker) Isely: Iowa State J. Res. 59: 130. (1984)
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