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Photo is of parent taxon

balloonpod milkvetch, placer county milkvetch, Whitney's milk vetch, woolly-leaf milkvetch

Photo is of parent taxon

alturas balloon milkvetch, alturas milkvetch, cone-like milkvetch, Whitney's milk vetch

Herbage

densely hirsutulous, hairs ascending or spreading, stiff, ± straight, 0.5–0.7 mm.

gray- or silvery-villosulous, hairs incurved-ascending or straight, 0.5–0.8 mm.

Stems

low, diffuse, 4–15(–20) cm.

robust to low, decumbent, ascending, or erect, (5–)10–30 cm.

Leaves

(1.5–)2–4 cm;

leaflets 9–17, blades 3–13 mm.

(2–)3–10 cm;

leaflets (7–)13–21, blades (3–)5–20 mm.

Racemes

5–9-flowered;

axis 0.5–2 cm in fruit.

(5–)8–16-flowered;

axis (1–)1.5–4 cm in fruit.

Flowers

calyx 5.8–9 mm, tube 4.4–5.6 mm, lobes 1.2–1.8 mm, hirsutulous, hairs white or mixed black and white;

corolla ochroleucous;

banner (8.3–)10–14.2(–16.5) mm.

calyx (5.8–)6.1–9.3 mm, tube (4–)4.5–5.9 mm, lobes (1.5–)1.8–3.6 mm;

corolla whitish tinged with pale pink or lavender, sometimes drying ochroleucous;

banner (12.8–)13.5–17.2 mm.

Legumes

obovoid, tapering to base, 15–35(–42) × 10–20(–25) mm, glabrous;

stipe 3–5(–7) mm.

(17–)20–60 × (10–)13–25(–28) mm, strigulose;

stipe 4–9 mm.

Seeds

13–25.

22–30(–37).

Astragalus whitneyi var. lenophyllus

Astragalus whitneyi var. confusus

Phenology Flowering Jul–Aug. Flowering Apr–Jul.
Habitat Treeless summits and open, stony places in timber belt. Sandy or gravelly, basaltic or gran­itic substrates, usually with sagebrush.
Elevation 2600–3100 m. (8500–10200 ft.) 1300–2600 m. (4300–8500 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; ID; NV; OR
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Variety lenophyllus is most common in open places along the crest of the Sierra Nevada in Placer and Nevada counties.

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

The range of var. confusus is from northeastern California and adjoining Oregon to northeastern Nevada, and southwestern and south-central Idaho.

D. Isely (1998) expressed concern over maintaining var. confusus as distinct from the more northern var. sonneanus. It seems to have about equal integrity as other varieties; nevertheless, southward it forms intermediates with var. siskiyouensis.

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

Source FNA vol. 11. FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Astragalus > sect. Cusickiani > Astragalus whitneyi Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Astragalus > sect. Cusickiani > Astragalus whitneyi
Sibling taxa
A. whitneyi var. confusus, A. whitneyi var. siskiyouensis, A. whitneyi var. sonneanus, A. whitneyi var. whitneyi
A. whitneyi var. lenophyllus, A. whitneyi var. siskiyouensis, A. whitneyi var. sonneanus, A. whitneyi var. whitneyi
Synonyms Phaca lenophylla
Name authority (Rydberg) Barneby: Aliso 2: 205. (1950) Barneby: Aliso 2: 206. (1950)
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