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Photo is of parent taxon

Bigelow's woolly locoweed, woolly locoweed

Photo is of parent taxon

Mogollon woolly locoweed, woolly locoweed

Habit Plants shortly caulescent, robust. Plants acaulescent, usually dwarf.
Stems

(0 or)3–17 cm.

reduced to thick crowns, closely invested with stipules.

Leaves

9–26 cm;

stipules 6–20 mm;

leaflets (13–)19–27, blades ovate, obovate, oval, or broadly elliptic, 6–25 mm.

(4–)6–16 cm;

stipules 5–12 mm;

leaflets (9–)13–23, blades broadly elliptic to suborbiculate, 3–13 mm.

Racemes

somewhat densely (15–)20–45-flowered, flowers subcontiguous or interrupted proximally;

axis (4–)5–11 cm in fruit.

densely 12–32-flowered;

axis 1.5–6 cm in fruit.

Peduncles

(5–)8–22 cm.

scapiform, 4–10 cm.

Flowers

calyx 10.5–13.5 cm, tube (8–)8.3–10.3 × (3.2–)4–5.2 mm, lobes (1.7–)2.6–4.4 mm;

corolla pink-purple;

banner 17–22.5 mm;

keel 13.5–18.5 mm.

calyx 10–15.3 mm, tube 6.6–8.5 × 3.2–5 mm, lobes 3.3–6.8 mm;

corolla pink-purple;

banner 16–21.5 mm;

keel 12.5–14.5 mm.

Legumes

gently incurved or ± straight, ovoid-acuminate or lanceoloid-ellipsoid, sometimes slightly turgid, 10–15 × (4–)4.5–8 mm, stiffly papery or leathery, densely villous-tomentulose, hairs to 1–1.6 mm;

beak bilocular.

± straight to gently incurved, narrowly ovoid or lunately ellipsoid, 9–13 × 4.5–6 mm, densely villous-tomentose, hairs to 1.6–2.6 mm;

beak bilocular.

Seeds

20–31.

19–28.

2n

= 22.

Astragalus mollissimus var. bigelovii

Astragalus mollissimus var. mogollonicus

Phenology Flowering (Jan–)Mar–Jun. Flowering Apr–Jul.
Habitat Dry plains and foothills, in desert- or mesquite-grasslands, among junipers, on calcareous soils, sandy loams, basalt gravel, over-grazed and badly eroded cattle ranges. Stony flats and hilltops, on pebbly, volcanic soils of open ponderosa pine forests, on limestone substrates, rocky knolls in pinyon-juniper belt.
Elevation 1200–1900(–2300) m. (3900–6200(–7500) ft.) 1800–2300 m. (5900–7500 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; NM; TX
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; NM
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Variety bigelovii is known from extreme western Texas to southeastern Arizona and in New Mexico as far north as Socorro County and the Plains of San Augustin in Catron County.

D. Isely (1998) recognized var. bigelovii at the species level, and included with it vars. marcidus, matthewsii, and mogollonicus, primarily on the basis of the completely bilocular fruits.

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

D. Isely (1998) viewed var. mogollonicus as a reduced phase of var. bigelovii, but var. mogollonicus is distinguished by its acaulescent growth habit and scapiform peduncles. It occurs from the Kaibab Plateau south of the Grand Canyon in Arizona to the southeast along the Mogollon Escarpment to western New Mexico.

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

Source FNA vol. 11. FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Astragalus > sect. Mollissimi > Astragalus mollissimus Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Astragalus > sect. Mollissimi > Astragalus mollissimus
Sibling taxa
A. mollissimus var. coryi, A. mollissimus var. earlei, A. mollissimus var. marcidus, A. mollissimus var. matthewsii, A. mollissimus var. mogollonicus, A. mollissimus var. mollissimus, A. mollissimus var. thompsoniae
A. mollissimus var. bigelovii, A. mollissimus var. coryi, A. mollissimus var. earlei, A. mollissimus var. marcidus, A. mollissimus var. matthewsii, A. mollissimus var. mollissimus, A. mollissimus var. thompsoniae
Synonyms A. bigelovii A. mogollonicus, A. bigelovii var. mogollonicus
Name authority (A. Gray) Barneby: Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 13: 742. (1964) (Greene) Barneby: Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 13: 745. (1964)
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