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Photo is of parent taxon

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

Photo is of parent taxon

prostrate milkvetch, reclining weedy milkvetch

Herbage

strigulose, hairs basifixed.

strigulose, hairs obscurely malpighian, silvery-silky, ± straight.

Stems

10–35 cm.

1–15(–22) cm.

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.

1.5–9(–12) cm;

leaflets (7 or)9–15(or 17), blades narrowly elliptic to oval-lanceolate, leaflets subtending racemes more broadly elliptic or oblanceolate, (2–)4–16(–20) mm, apex acute to obtuse, surfaces pubescent;

terminal leaflet decurrent or jointed.

Racemes

loosely (3–)6–16(–24)-flowered;

axis (1.5–)2.5–14 cm in fruit.

(4–)7–17-flowered;

axis 1–3(–4) cm in fruit.

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.

calyx 2.8–4.3 mm, tube 1.8–2.5 mm, lobes 0.9–1.9 mm;

corolla usually pink-purple, purplish, bluish, or dull purple, sometimes pallid or whitish, except maculate keel;

banner 6.9–9.6 mm;

keel 6.2–7.8 mm.

Legumes

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

linear-oblong or -oblanceoloid, (12–)14–21 × 2.2–3.3 mm.

Seeds

7–10.

12–18.

2n

= 22.

Astragalus miser var. serotinus

Astragalus miser var. decumbens

Phenology Flowering May–Aug. Flowering May–Aug.
Habitat Banks, flats, rocky or grassy slopes, glades in pine forests. Banks, hillsides, bluffs, ridge crests, with sagebrush, with limber pine and juniper.
Elevation 200–2000 m. (700–6600 ft.) 1100–2600 m. (3600–8500 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
ID; MT; WA; AB; BC
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
ID; MT; WY
[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.)

Variety decumbens occurs from southern Montana on the Yellowstone River, southward (mostly eastward of the Continental Divide except on upper Green River) to central Wyoming.

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

Source FNA vol. 11. FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Astragalus > sect. Genistoidei > Astragalus miser Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Astragalus > sect. Genistoidei > Astragalus miser
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. miser var. crispatus, 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 Homalobus decumbens
Name authority (A. Gray) Barneby: Amer. Midl. Naturalist 55: 481. (1956) (Nuttall) Cronquist: Leafl. W. Bot. 7: 18. (1953)
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