Astragalus nuttallianus var. macilentus |
Astragalus nuttallianus var. micranthiformis |
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small milkvetch, turkeypeas |
Montezuma milkvetch, turkeypeas |
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Habit | Plants strigose-pilosulous, hairs to 0.8 mm. | Plants sparsely pilosulous, hairs to 0.7(–0.8) mm. |
Stems | 8–30(–38) cm. |
3–25(–39) cm. |
Leaves | (1.5–)2–9.5 cm; leaflets 7–23, blades sometimes dimorphic, distal ones more narrow, linear-elliptic, oblong-oblanceolate, broadly elliptic, or obovate, apex acute or truncate-emarginate. |
1.5–4.5(–6.5) cm; leaflets (7 or)9–15(or 17), blades proximally obovate, oblong, or obcordate, distally oblanceolate, elliptic, or linear-oblong, apex proximally retuse or emarginate, distally obtuse to subacute, terminal one sometimes emarginate. |
Racemes | (2 or)3–27-flowered; axis to (0.5–)1–3 cm in fruit. |
(1–)3–7-flowered; axis (0–)0.5–2 cm in fruit. |
Peduncles | 2.5–9 cm. |
(1.5–)2.5–5.5(–6.5) cm. |
Flowers | calyx 3.4–5.6 mm, loosely sparsely strigulose-pilosulous, tube 2–3.1 mm, lobes 1.1–3 mm; corolla banner (6.4–)8.5–13 mm; keel apex obtusely rounded. |
calyx 3.4–4.7 mm, loosely strigulose, tube 2–2.8 mm, lobes (1.2–)1.5–2.2(–2.5) mm; corolla banner 6.3–7.6(–9.2) mm; keel apex obtusely rounded. |
Legumes | (10–)13–25 × 1.8–2.7 mm, glabrous; substipitate. |
somewhat hamate, (12–)14–20 × 2.1–3.3 mm, glabrous or minutely strigulose. |
Seeds | 12–22. |
13–17. |
Astragalus nuttallianus var. macilentus |
Astragalus nuttallianus var. micranthiformis |
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Phenology | Flowering Mar–May. | Flowering Apr–Jun. |
Habitat | Dry gravelly or rocky sites, disturbed soils. | Mixed salt-desert and desert shrub, sagebrush, and pinyon-juniper communities. |
Elevation | 200–1400 m. (700–4600 ft.) | (1000–)1100–1900 m. ((3300–)3600–6200 ft.) |
Distribution |
TX |
AZ; CO; NM; UT |
Discussion | Variety macilentus occurs from south-central Texas to the western tip of the state. Species level recognition may be justified because of its elongating inflorescences, substipitate fruits, obtuse keels, and absence of intergradation with sympatric Astragalus nuttallianus (D. Isely 1998). It is easily confused with A. emoryanus in flower, which is distinguished by its sessile and deciduous fruits. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
D. Isely (1998) suggested that large-flowered individuals within the range of var. micranthiformis are intermediates with var. austrinus. Ranges of these varieties are discrete, however, and larger-flowered plants may be part of normal variation. Variety micranthiformis occurs in approximately one-fourth of each state around the Four Corners area. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 11. | FNA vol. 11. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Hamosa macilenta, A. macilentus | |
Name authority | (Small) Barneby: Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 13: 1065. (1964) | Barneby: Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 13: 1064. (1964) |
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