Flora of North America species comparison

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Astragalus cusickii var. sterilis
Photo is of parent taxon

barren milkvetch
Habit Plants from subterranean caudex, sometimes with stolonlike branches, 2–8 cm underground; distal leaves mostly foliose.
Leaves

stipules connate-sheathing at proximal nodes, distinct at distal nodes;

leaflets 7–11, blades to 2–5 mm, surfaces strigulose adaxially (often densely so);

terminal leaflet not jointed to slightly dilated rachis.
Flowers

calyx 3–3.6 × 2.2–2.5 mm;

corolla ochroleucous, fading yellowish;

banner 9–10 mm.
Legumes

purple-mottled, obliquely ovoid, bladdery-inflated, 20–25 mm, (1–)1.2–2.2 mm wide when pressed;

stipe 3 mm.
Seeds

17–20.

Astragalus cusickii var. sterilis
Phenology Flowering Jun–Jul.
Habitat Barren clay and white or brown ash soils, bluffs, talus slopes, open hilltops.
Elevation 1400–1500 m. (4600–4900 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
ID; OR
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

D. Isely (1998) maintained var. sterilis, a rare and local endemic from Owyhee County, Idaho, and Malheur County, Oregon, at the specific level, suggesting that it was derived from Astragalus cusickii.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Astragalus > sect. Cusickiani > Astragalus cusickii
Sibling taxa
A. cusickii var. cusickii, A. cusickii var. flexilipes, A. cusickii var. packardiae
Synonyms A. sterilis
Name authority (Barneby) Barneby in A. Cronquist et al.: Intermount. Fl. 3(B): 78. (1989)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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