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Photo is of parent taxon

woolly locoweed

Photo is of parent taxon

Matthews woolly locoweed, woolly locoweed

Habit Plants usually shortly caulescent, sometimes subacaulescent, to 45 cm. Plants acaulescent or subacaulescent.
Stems

1.5–18 cm, internodes to 4 cm or obscured by imbricate stipules.

to 1.5 cm, obscured by imbricate stipules.

Leaves

(7–)10–20(–25) cm;

stipules (5–)7–17 mm;

leaflets 15–27(–33), blades usually oval, ovate, or obovate, sometimes rhombic-elliptic, 5–22 mm.

(3–)5–12 cm;

stipules (3–)4–8 mm;

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

Racemes

(10–)15–40-flowered;

axis elongating, (2–)4–17 cm in fruit.

(5–)7–12-flowered;

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

Peduncles

6–23 cm.

scapiform, (1.5–)2.5–8 cm.

Flowers

calyx (8.8–)10.5–14 mm, tube 6.8–9.5 × 3.4–4.5 mm, lobes (2–)3–5 mm;

corolla pinkish, pink-purple, pale yellow, or yellowish suffused with dull lavender;

banner (16–)17.5–21.5 mm;

keel 14–18 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

shallowly crescentic or abruptly incurved near middle through ± 90°, contracted distally, narrowly oblong-ellipsoid to lanceoloid-ellipsoid, 14–24 × 4–7 mm, mostly glabrous and apex usually puberulent or hispidulous, rarely puberulent, sometimes shortly villosulous throughout;

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

26–37.

24–31.

2n

= 22.

Astragalus mollissimus var. mollissimus

Astragalus mollissimus var. matthewsii

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jul. Flowering Apr–Jun.
Habitat Prairies, plains, valley floors, stony mesas, and fallow fields on alluvial loams, loess, on outcrops of shale, limestone, or sandstone, most abundant where vegetation is low and sparse. 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 500–1900 m. (1600–6200 ft.) 1900–2600 m. (6200–8500 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CO; KS; NE; NM; OK; SD; TX; WY
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; NM
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Flowers of var. mollissimus are normally dull purplish, but in some New Mexico populations they are a pure pale yellow, the basis of forma flavus McGregor.

(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. coryi, A. mollissimus var. earlei, A. mollissimus var. marcidus, A. mollissimus var. matthewsii, A. mollissimus var. mogollonicus, 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. matthewsii, A. bigelovii var. matthewsii
Name authority unknown (S. Watson) Barneby: Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 13: 746. (1964)
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