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Photo is of parent taxon

mat milk vetch, mountain kentrophyta

Photo is of parent taxon

Douglas kentrophyta, Douglas' spiny milkvetch, spiny millk-vetch, thistle milk-vetch

Habit Plants prostrate, cushion-forming, 5–40(–50) cm wide. Plants prostrate, densely mat-forming, becoming suffruticose.
Stems

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

and herbage strigulose, hairs basifixed.

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.

1–1.7 cm;

stipules dimorphic, 2–5 mm;

leaflets 5(or 7), blades 5–12 mm, surfaces pubescent.

Peduncles

0–1.5(–3) cm.

subobsolete.

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.

5.8 mm;

calyx 4.7–5.2 mm, tube 2.2–2.4 mm, lobes subulate, spinulose, 2.3–3 mm;

corolla whitish.

Legumes

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

lanceoloid, 5–5.5 × 2 mm.

Seeds

(3–)5–8.

2.

2n

= 24.

= 24.

Astragalus kentrophyta var. tegetarius

Astragalus kentrophyta var. douglasii

Phenology Flowering Jun–Sep. Flowering 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 substrates.
Elevation 2000–3700 m. (6600–12100 ft.) 150–400 m. (500–1300 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; UT; WY
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
OR; WA
[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 douglasii is known from only a few, vague historical records, probably taken near the present city of Walla Walla near the Great Bend of the Columbia River, and appears to be extinct.

(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. coloradoensis, A. kentrophyta var. danaus, 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) Barneby: Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 13: 364. (1964)
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