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Photo is of parent taxon
Photo is of parent taxon

clay milkvetch

Habit Plants forming tufts. Plants forming loose tufts.
Racemes

slightly to much surpassing leaves.

Peduncles

usually to 12 cm.

5–10 cm.

Flowers

11–17.8 mm;

calyx 4–7.5 mm, strigose to short-villous, tube 3.2–5.2 mm;

corolla usually cream to lemon yellow, rarely suffused with pale pink or purple.

9–10.5 mm;

calyx 6–10 mm, hirsute, tube 3–4.5 mm;

corolla usually reddish lilac, reddish purple, or blue, rarely white.

Seeds

8–17.

8–11.

2n

= 24, 26.

Astragalus flavus var. flavus

Astragalus flavus var. argillosus

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jul(–Sep). Flowering Apr–Jul.
Habitat Seleniferous substrates composed of saline silts and clays derived from Triassic Chinle and Moenkopi, Jurassic Arapien Shale, Entrada, Curtis, Summerville, Morrison, and Cedar Mountain formations, and from Cretaceous Mancos Shale and Tropic Shale formations, and other similarly fine-textured Tertiary formations, in salt desert shrub, pinyon-juniper communities. Cretaceous Mancos Shale and Jurassic Summerville, Cedar Mountain, and Morrison formations, on saline clays and silts with salt desert shrubs.
Elevation 800–2300 m. (2600–7500 ft.) 1200–1800 m. (3900–5900 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CO; NM; UT; WY
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
UT
Discussion

Sheep poisoning attributable to var. flavus, possibly due to ingestion of selenium, is known from lower elevations of the Uinta Basin in northeastern Utah.

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

Variety argillosus is common in east-central Utah.

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

Source FNA vol. 11. FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Astragalus > sect. Ocreati > Astragalus flavus Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Astragalus > sect. Ocreati > Astragalus flavus
Sibling taxa
A. flavus var. argillosus, A. flavus var. higginsii
A. flavus var. flavus, A. flavus var. higginsii
Synonyms A. argillosus
Name authority unknown (M. E. Jones) Barneby: Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 13: 401. (1964)
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