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Photo is of parent taxon

Mount Dana kentrophyta, spiny milkvetch, Sweetwater Mountains. milk vetch

Photo is of parent taxon

mat milk vetch, mountain kentrophyta

Habit Plants prostrate, mat- or cushion-forming, to 15 cm wide. Plants prostrate, cushion-forming, 5–40(–50) cm wide.
Stems

and herbage strigulose, hairs basifixed.

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

Leaves

0.4–1.5(–2) cm;

stipules somewhat dimorphic, 2–7 mm;

leaflets 3(–7), blades 3–7 mm.

(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

4–5.6 mm;

calyx 2.4–3.2 mm, tube 1.6–1.9 mm, lobes subulate to setaceous, 0.8–1.3 mm;

corolla purple or whitish and keel 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 lenticular, 3.5–5 × 2–2.5 mm.

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

Seeds

5–8.

(3–)5–8.

2n

= 24.

= 24.

Astragalus kentrophyta var. danaus

Astragalus kentrophyta var. tegetarius

Phenology Flowering Jul–Sep. Flowering Jun–Sep.
Habitat Gravelly slopes and talus upward from timberline, or in bristle-cone pine forest. Ridgetops, breaks, alpine shrub and tundra with Phlox, Geum rossii, other forbs, grasses, less commonly with shrubs and trees, often in barrens.
Elevation 3000–4000 m. (9800–13100 ft.) 2000–3700 m. (6600–12100 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; UT; WY
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Variety danaus is restricted to high elevations in the southern Sierra Nevada.

(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. coloradoensis, 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 var. danaus 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 (Barneby) Barneby: Leafl. W. Bot. 6: 154. (1951) (S. Watson) Dorn: Vasc. Pl. Wyoming, 297. (1988)
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