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Photo is of parent taxon

mat milk vetch, mountain kentrophyta

Photo is of parent taxon

Canyonlands kentrophyta, Colorado spiny milkvetch

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

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

and herbage strigulose, hairs malpighian.

Leaves

(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.

0.9–2.4 cm;

stipules 1–12 mm;

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

Peduncles

0–1.5(–3) cm.

0.2–0.6 cm.

Flowers

(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.

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.

Legumes

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

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

Seeds

(3–)5–8.

4–8.

2n

= 24.

= 24.

Astragalus kentrophyta var. tegetarius

Astragalus kentrophyta var. coloradoensis

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

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.)

Variety coloradoensis is known from north-central Arizona and south-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. Ervoidei > Astragalus kentrophyta Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Astragalus > sect. Ervoidei > Astragalus kentrophyta
Sibling taxa
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
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
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 (S. Watson) Dorn: Vasc. Pl. Wyoming, 297. (1988) M. E. Jones: Contr. W. Bot. 10: 63. (1902)
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