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Photo is of parent taxon

Canyonlands kentrophyta, Colorado spiny milkvetch

Photo is of parent taxon

mat milk vetch, mountain kentrophyta

Habit Plants loosely mat- or clump-forming, low, to 12 cm. Plants prostrate, cushion-forming, 5–40(–50) cm wide.
Stems

and herbage strigulose, hairs malpighian.

and herbage densely to sparsely strigulose, villosulous, or villous, hairs basifixed.

Leaves

0.9–2.4 cm;

stipules 1–12 mm;

leaflets (3 or)5(or 7), blades 4–15 mm, surfaces pubescent.

(0.2–)0.4–1.5(–2) cm;

stipules 2–7 mm;

leaflets (3 or)5–9, blades 1–9 mm, surfaces pubescent or adaxially glabrous or medially glabrescent.

Peduncles

0.2–0.6 cm.

0–1.5(–3) cm.

Flowers

7.3–10 mm;

calyx 6–8.3 mm, tube 2.4–3.3 mm, lobes subulate, spinulose, 3.4–5 mm;

corolla pink-purple.

(3.9–)4.5–8(–9.2) mm;

calyx (2–)2.4–5.7(–7) mm, tube 1.2–2.6(–2.8) mm, lobes subulate to setaceous, (0.5–)1.9–2.6(–4.2) mm;

corolla usually purple or purplish, sometimes white and keel tip pink or purplish.

Legumes

subsymmetrically ellipsoid, lanceoloid- or oblong-ellipsoid, (5–)7–10 × 2.8–4 mm.

ellipsoid or oblong-ellipsoid, (3–)4–8(–9) × (0.6–)2–2.5 mm.

Seeds

4–8.

(3–)5–8.

2n

= 24.

= 24.

Astragalus kentrophyta var. coloradoensis

Astragalus kentrophyta var. tegetarius

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jun. Flowering Jun–Sep.
Habitat Sandy wash bottoms, sandy pockets on sandstone rimrock, in mixed desert shrub communities. Ridgetops, breaks, alpine shrub and tundra with Phlox, Geum rossii, other forbs, grasses, less commonly with shrubs and trees, often in barrens.
Elevation 900–1700 m. (3000–5600 ft.) 2000–3700 m. (6600–12100 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; UT
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; UT; WY
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Variety coloradoensis is known from north-central Arizona and south-central Utah.

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

The moderately large, usually purplish flowers borne just above the mat of foliage set var. tegetarius apart and make it one of the showiest phases of the species.

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

Source FNA vol. 11. FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Astragalus > sect. Ervoidei > Astragalus kentrophyta Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Astragalus > sect. Ervoidei > Astragalus kentrophyta
Sibling taxa
A. kentrophyta var. danaus, A. kentrophyta var. douglasii, A. kentrophyta var. elatus, A. kentrophyta var. jessiae, A. kentrophyta var. kentrophyta, A. kentrophyta var. neomexicanus, A. kentrophyta var. tegetarius, A. kentrophyta var. ungulatus
A. kentrophyta var. coloradoensis, A. kentrophyta var. danaus, A. kentrophyta var. douglasii, A. kentrophyta var. elatus, A. kentrophyta var. jessiae, A. kentrophyta var. kentrophyta, A. kentrophyta var. neomexicanus, A. kentrophyta var. ungulatus
Synonyms A. tegetarius, A. aculeatus, A. kentrophyta subsp. implexus, A. kentrophyta var. implexus, A. kentrophyta var. rotundus, A. montanus var. rotundus, A. montanus var. tegetarius, A. tegetarius var. implexus, A. tegetarius var. rotundus, Homalobus aculeatus, H. tegetarius, H. wolfii, Kentrophyta aculeata, K. minima, K. rotunda, K. tegetaria, K. wolfii, Tragacantha tegetaria
Name authority M. E. Jones: Contr. W. Bot. 10: 63. (1902) (S. Watson) Dorn: Vasc. Pl. Wyoming, 297. (1988)
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