Flora of North America species comparison

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Astragalus miser var. serotinus

Astragalus miser
Photo is of parent taxon

Cooper's weedy milkvetch, timber milk-vetch, weedy milk-vetch

timber milk-vetch, weedy milk-vetch
Habit Plants clump-forming, caulescent or shortly caulescent, 1–35 cm, strigose, strigulose-pilosulous, pilosulous, strigulose, or villous, hairs basifixed or malpighian; from ± superficial, branched caudex.
Herbage

strigulose, hairs basifixed.

Stems

10–35 cm.

decumbent to erect, sterile branches forming tuft of sub-basal leaves, strigose, strigulose, or villous.
Leaves

4–15(–17.5) cm;

leaflets (9 or)11–19(or 21), blades narrowly elliptic to linear or linear-oblanceolate, (2–)4–30(–40) mm, apex acute or obtuse, surfaces pubescent abaxially, glabrous adaxially.

1.5–20 cm;

stipules connate-sheathing (bidentate) at proximal nodes, shortly connate or distinct at distal nodes, 1.5–9 mm, papery-membranous throughout or, sometimes, herbaceous at distal nodes;

leaflets 3–21, blades linear, oblong, elliptic, linear-elliptic, linear-oblanceolate, lanceolate, oblong-elliptic, elliptic-lanceolate, or, rarely, filiform-subulate (distally), 2–30(–42) × 0.5–7 mm, apex acute, obtuse, acuminate, apiculate, or, rarely, retuse, surfaces strigose, glabrescent, or glabrous abaxially, glabrous, glabrescent, or sparsely hairy adaxially;

terminal leaflet sometimes decurrent distally, not jointed to rachis.
Racemes

loosely (3–)6–16(–24)-flowered;

axis (1.5–)2.5–14 cm in fruit.

3–19(–24)-flowered, flowers spreading-declined;

axis 1–14 cm in fruit;

bracts 0.6–4 mm;

bracteoles usually 0.
Peduncles

usually incurved-ascending, 2–14 cm.
Pedicels

0.8–3 mm.
Flowers

calyx 3–4.2 mm, tube 2.3–3.1 mm, lobes 0.7–1.3 mm;

corolla whitish or suffused or veined purple, keel pinkish lilac;

banner 7–9.5 mm;

keel 6–7.8(–8.4) mm.

5.3–10.6 mm;

calyx (2.3–)2.4–6 mm, strigose, tube 1.7–4.2 mm, lobes subulate, 0.5–2.6 mm;

corolla lilac, pink-purple, ochroleucous, or whitish, often suffused, lined, or veined with purple;

banner recurved through 40–90°;

keel 5.9–10.7(–11.4) mm, apex beaklike.
Legumes

linear-oblong, 13–18(–21) × 2–2.8(–3.2) mm, glabrous or strigulose.

declined-pendulous; green, sometimes with purple speckles, becoming brown or stramineous, straight or nearly so, linear, linear-oblong, linear-ellipsoid, or oblanceoloid, laterally compressed, bicarinate by sutures, 11–25 × (1.2–)2–4 mm, papery, usually strigulose, villosulous, or glabrous, rarely with few hairs;

stipe 0–1 mm.
Seeds

7–10.

6–19.
2n

= 22.

Astragalus miser var. serotinus

Astragalus miser
Phenology Flowering May–Aug.
Habitat Banks, flats, rocky or grassy slopes, glades in pine forests.
Elevation 200–2000 m. (700–6600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
ID; MT; WA; AB; BC
[BONAP county map]
from USDA
w North America
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Variety serotinus is known from the Columbia Basin in Washington, northward into British Columbia and Rocky Mountains of Alberta, and southward into northwestern Montana.

D. Isely (1998) noted that var. serotinus is contiguous, and blends, with the purple-petaled var. miser. If origin is unknown, var. serotinus is often distinguished from var. hylophilus with difficulty.

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

Varieties 8 (8 in the flora).

Astragalus miser, widespread in the American West, contains miserotoxin, a nitrogenous compound that is poisonous to cattle and sheep. In the key to varieties the presence of malpighian hairs is important. The point of attachment may be so near the base as to be almost indistinguishable from a basifixed trichome. The key is tentative and will not always reliably separate varieties; nevertheless, morphological trends exist and most plants are identifiable.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Herbage hairs obscurely malpighian; leaflet blades pubescent.
→ 2
2. Herbage villosulous or villous and pilosulous, hairs gray or silvery, mostly twisted and loose; legumes minutely villosulous, hairs twisted; ec Idaho, adjoining Montana.
var. crispatus
2. Herbage strigulose, hairs ± straight; legumes strigulose; Idaho, Montana, Wyoming.
→ 3
3. Leaflet blades linear to linear-elliptic or oblong-elliptic; corollas whitish, ochro­leu­cous, or stramineous, sometimes brownish-veined, keel apex maculate; seeds 7–11; sw Montana, ec Idaho, nw Wyoming.
var. praeteritus
3. Leaflet blades narrowly elliptic to elliptic-lanceolate (leaves subtending racemes sometimes broadly elliptic or oblanceolate); corollas usually pink-purple, purplish, bluish, or dull purple, sometimes pallid or whitish, except maculate keel; seeds 12–18; Idaho and s Montana to c Wyoming.
var. decumbens
1. Herbage hairs basifixed; leaflet blades abaxially pubescent, adaxially pubescent or glabrous.
→ 4
4. Leaflet blades with pubescent surfaces, hairs silvery or cinereous; calyces (4.2–)4.6–6 mm; corollas lilac or pink-purple, banners (9.5–)9.8–12 mm, keel (7.8–)8.6–10.7 mm; legumes densely strigulose; ne Washington to w Montana and adjacent Canada.
var. miser
4. Leaflet blades with surfaces pubescent or glabrous abaxially, usually glabrous or gla­brate adaxially, sometimes pubescent; calyces 2.4–5.6 mm; corollas usually whitish, rarely ochroleucous, sometimes suffused or lined or veined with purple, banners (5.2–)6–13 mm, keel 5.9–10 mm; legumes strigulose or gla­brous; British Columbia and Alberta south­ward to Washington, Arizona, New Mexico, and South Dakota.
→ 5
5. Leaflets (3–)7–11; stems 1–11(–15) cm; banners 6–8 mm; legumes linear (in profile), strigulose; seeds 8–12; se Idaho to sw Montana, ne Nevada, n Utah, and w Wyoming.
var. tenuifolius
5. Leaflets (9 or)11–21; stems 1–35 cm; banners (5.2–)6.5–13 mm; legumes oblanceolate, linear, linear-oblong, -elliptic, or -oblanceolate (in pro­file), glabrous or strigulose; seeds (6 or)7–19; British Columbia and Alberta southward to Washington, Arizona, New Mexico, and South Dakota.
→ 6
6. Legumes strigulose; seeds 13–19; Montana to New Mexico, west to Nevada and Arizona.
var. oblongifolius
6. Legumes glabrous, strigulose, or few hairs present; seeds (6 or)7–11; South Dakota west to British Columbia and Washington.
→ 7
7. Stems 10–35 cm; banners 7–9.5 mm, keel 6–7.8(–8.4) mm; leaflet blades narrowly elliptic to linear or linear-oblanceolate; legumes glabrous or strigulose; Alberta and British Columbia southward to Montana, Idaho, and Washington.
var. serotinus
7. Stems 1–15 cm; banners (5.2–)6.5–13 mm, keel (7.1–)8–10(–11.4) mm; leaflet blades narrowly to broadly elliptic, lanceolate, or lanceolate-oblong; legumes usually glabrous, rarely with few, scattered hairs; w Wyoming and Montana, adjoining Idaho, and Black Hills of South Dakota.
var. hylophilus
Source FNA vol. 11. FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Astragalus > sect. Genistoidei > Astragalus miser Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Astragalus > sect. Genistoidei
Sibling taxa
A. miser var. crispatus, A. miser var. decumbens, A. miser var. hylophilus, A. miser var. miser, A. miser var. oblongifolius, A. miser var. praeteritus, A. miser var. tenuifolius
A. accidens, A. accumbens, A. ackermanii, A. acutirostris, A. adanus, A. aequalis, A. agnicidus, A. agrestis, A. albens, A. albulus, A. allochrous, A. alpinus, A. altus, A. alvordensis, A. amblytropis, A. americanus, A. amnis-amissi, A. amphioxys, A. ampullarioides, A. ampullarius, A. andersonii, A. anisus, A. anserinus, A. applegatei, A. aquilonius, A. aretioides, A. argophyllus, A. aridus, A. arizonicus, A. arrectus, A. arthurii, A. asclepiadoides, A. asotinensis, A. asymmetricus, A. atratus, A. atropubescens, A. atwoodii, A. austiniae, A. australis, A. barnebyi, A. barrii, A. beathii, A. beatleyae, A. beckwithii, A. bernardinus, A. bibullatus, A. bicristatus, A. bisulcatus, A. bodinii, A. bolanderi, A. bourgovii, A. brandegeei, A. brauntonii, A. brazoensis, A. breweri, A. californicus, A. callithrix, A. calycosus, A. camptopus, A. canadensis, A. caricinus, A. casei, A. castaneiformis, A. castetteri, A. ceramicus, A. cerussatus, A. chamaeleuce, A. chamaemeniscus, A. chinensis, A. chloödes, A. chuskanus, A. cibarius, A. cicer, A. cimae, A. claranus, A. clevelandii, A. cliffordii, A. cobrensis, A. coccineus, A. collinus, A. coltonii, A. columbianus, A. concordius, A. congdonii, A. conjunctus, A. consobrinus, A. contortuplicatus, A. convallarius, A. cottamii, A. crassicarpus, A. cremnophylax, A. cronquistii, A. crotalariae, A. curtipes, A. curvicarpus, A. cusickii, A. cutleri, A. cyaneus, A. cymboides, A. deanei, A. debequaeus, A. desereticus, A. desperatus, A. deterior, A. detritalis, A. diaphanus, A. didymocarpus, A. distortus, A. diversifolius, A. douglasii, A. drabelliformis, A. drummondii, A. duchesnensis, A. eastwoodiae, A. egglestonii, A. emoryanus, A. endopterus, A. ensiformis, A. episcopus, A. equisolensis, A. eremiticus, A. ertterae, A. eucosmus, A. eurekensis, A. eurylobus, A. falcatus, A. feensis, A. filipes, A. flavus, A. flexuosus, A. fucatus, A. funereus, A. gambelianus, A. geyeri, A. gibbsii, A. giganteus, A. gilensis, A. gilmanii, A. gilviflorus, A. glycyphyllos, A. gracilis, A. grayi, A. gypsodes, A. hallii, A. hamiltonii, A. harrisonii, A. heilii, A. henrimontanensis, A. holmgreniorum, A. hoodianus, A. hornii, A. howellii, A. humillimus, A. humistratus, A. hyalinus, A. hypoxylus, A. inflexus, A. insularis, A. inversus, A. inyoensis, A. iodanthus, A. iodopetalus, A. iselyi, A. jaegerianus, A. jejunus, A. johannis-howellii, A. kelseyae, A. kentrophyta, A. kerrii, A. knightii, A. laccoliticus, A. lancearius, A. laxmannii, A. layneae, A. leibergii, A. lemmonii, A. lentiformis, A. lentiginosus, A. leptaleus, A. leptocarpus, A. leucolobus, A. limnocharis, A. lindheimeri, A. linifolius, A. loanus, A. lonchocarpus, A. lotiflorus, A. lutosus, A. lyallii, A. macrodon, A. magdalenae, A. malacoides, A. malacus, A. megacarpus, A. michauxii, A. microcymbus, A. microcystis, A. microlobium, A. micromerius, A. miguelensis, A. minthorniae, A. misellus, A. missouriensis, A. moencoppensis, A. mohavensis, A. mollissimus, A. molybdenus, A. monoensis, A. montii, A. monumentalis, A. mulfordiae, A. multiflorus, A. musiniensis, A. naturitensis, A. neglectus, A. nelsonianus, A. neomexicanus, A. nevinii, A. newberryi, A. nidularius, A. nothoxys, A. nudisiliquus, A. nutans, A. nutriosensis, A. nuttallianus, A. nuttallii, A. nutzotinensis, A. nyensis, A. obcordatus, A. obscurus, A. oniciformis, A. oocalycis, A. oocarpus, A. oophorus, A. oreganus, A. osterhoutii, A. oxyphysus, A. pachypus, A. palmeri, A. panamintensis, A. pardalinus, A. parryi, A. pattersonii, A. pauperculus, A. paysonii, A. peckii, A. pectinatus, A. perianus, A. phoenix, A. pictiformis, A. pinonis, A. piscator, A. piutensis, A. plattensis, A. platytropis, A. polaris, A. pomonensis, A. porrectus, A. praelongus, A. preussii, A. proimanthus, A. proximus, A. pseudiodanthus, A. pterocarpus, A. pubentissimus, A. pulsiferae, A. puniceus, A. purshii, A. pycnostachyus, A. racemosus, A. rafaelensis, A. rattanii, A. ravenii, A. recurvus, A. reflexus, A. remotus, A. reventiformis, A. reventus, A. riparius, A. ripleyi, A. robbinsii, A. rusbyi, A. sabulonum, A. sabulosus, A. salmonis, A. saurinus, A. scaphoides, A. schmolliae, A. sclerocarpus, A. scopulorum, A. sepultipes, A. serenoi, A. sericoleucus, A. serpens, A. sesquiflorus, A. sheldonii, A. shevockii, A. shortianus, A. siliceus, A. simplicifolius, A. sinuatus, A. solitarius, A. sophoroides, A. soxmaniorum, A. spaldingii, A. sparsiflorus, A. spatulatus, A. speirocarpus, A. straturensis, A. striatiflorus, A. subcinereus, A. subvestitus, A. succumbens, A. tegetarioides, A. tener, A. tennesseensis, A. tephrodes, A. terminalis, A. tetrapterus, A. thurberi, A. tibetanus, A. tidestromii, A. tiehmii, A. titanophilus, A. toanus, A. toquimanus, A. tortipes, A. traskiae, A. tricarinatus, A. trichopodus, A. tridactylicus, A. troglodytus, A. tweedyi, A. tyghensis, A. umbellatus, A. umbraticus, A. uncialis, A. utahensis, A. vaccarum, A. vallaris, A. vexilliflexus, A. villosus, A. wardii, A. waterfallii, A. webberi, A. welshii, A. wetherillii, A. whitneyi, A. williamsii, A. wingatanus, A. wittmannii, A. woodruffii, A. wootonii, A. wrightii, A. xiphoides, A. yoderwilliamsii, A. zionis
Subordinate taxa
A. miser var. crispatus, A. miser var. decumbens, A. miser var. hylophilus, A. miser var. miser, A. miser var. oblongifolius, A. miser var. praeteritus, A. miser var. serotinus, A. miser var. tenuifolius
Synonyms A. serotinus
Name authority (A. Gray) Barneby: Amer. Midl. Naturalist 55: 481. (1956) Douglas in W. J. Hooker: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 153. (1831)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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