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Photo is of parent taxon

Cory's woolly locoweed, woolly locoweed

Photo is of parent taxon

Matthews woolly locoweed, woolly locoweed

Habit Plants usually shortly caulescent, sometimes subacaulescent. Plants acaulescent or subacaulescent.
Stems

2–25 cm, hairs spirally twisted, to 1.6–2.8 mm.

to 1.5 cm, obscured by imbricate stipules.

Leaves

(4–)6–20 cm;

stipules (5–)7–15 mm;

leaflets (11–)17–25(–29), blades usually obovate or oblong-oval, sometimes rhombic-obovate, 5–18 mm.

(3–)5–12 cm;

stipules (3–)4–8 mm;

leaflets 11–23, blades obovate, 3–12 mm.

Racemes

densely 15–45-flowered;

axis 3.5–9 cm in fruit.

(5–)7–12-flowered;

axis (0.5–)1–4.5 cm in fruit, not or scarcely surpassing foliage.

Peduncles

8–21 cm.

scapiform, (1.5–)2.5–8 cm.

Flowers

calyx 10.5–14 mm, tube 7–8.7 × 3–4 mm, lobes (3.3–)3.7–5.5 mm;

corolla cream;

banner (14.4–)15–20.3 mm;

keel 12–17.4 mm.

calyx 10–13 mm, tube 7–8.6 × 3.4–4.7 mm, lobes 2.4–5.2 mm;

corolla pale purple;

banner 18.5–22.5 mm;

keel 14.2–18 mm.

Legumes

narrowly ovoid or oblong-ellipsoid, 10–17 × 4.5–7 mm, glabrous or sparsely hispidulous (distally);

beak unilocular.

gently or abruptly incurved distally, broadly ovoid, turgid, 12–18 × 7–13 mm, widest near obtuse or truncate base, densely villous-tomentose;

beak bilocular.

Seeds

24–31.

Astragalus mollissimus var. coryi

Astragalus mollissimus var. matthewsii

Phenology Flowering Mar–May. Flowering Apr–Jun.
Habitat Calcareous clay flats and depressions on rolling plains. Open slopes and hilltops, in ponderosa pine forests, along canyons to juniper-pinyon belt, on light, sandy or gravelly, sedimentary, granitic, or volcanic soils.
Elevation 500–1000 m. (1600–3300 ft.) 1900–2600 m. (6200–8500 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
TX
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; NM
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Variety coryi is locally abundant on the northwestern Edwards Plateau in Crockett, Howard, Irion, Martin, Reagan, Schleicher, Sterling, and Upton counties.

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

Variety matthewsii is scattered and uncommon in Apache County in eastern Arizona and from Santa Fe to McKinley counties in the mountains of north-central and northwestern 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. bigelovii, 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. mogollonicus, A. mollissimus var. mollissimus, A. mollissimus var. thompsoniae
Synonyms A. argillophilus A. matthewsii, A. bigelovii var. matthewsii
Name authority Tidestrom: Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 50: 21. (1937) (S. Watson) Barneby: Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 13: 746. (1964)
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