Preussii, 153 
KEY 
A. Pods conspicuously inflated, not fleshy, coriaceous, nearly erect, 
abruptly stipitate, opening nearly to the base along both sutures, . 
but a little more freely along the ventral. Flowers ascending. 
Peduncles axillary. Plants smooth throughout except the calyx. 
AB. Leaflets several pairs. Flowers purple. Dorsal suture of pod 
not noticeably produced within. Preussii Proper. m 
Pods with stipe not longer than calyx. 109 Preussii. . 
Pods with stipe 2 cm. long. IIO ampullarius. 
Pods sessile. _ qe 111 limatus 
A2B. Leaves represented by a single sessile leaflet which is 
jointed to the stem, and cordate-oval-ovate, 2-6 cm. wide and 
3-7 cm. long. Pods conical-ovate, long-stipitate, capitate on 
peduncles shorter than the leaflet. 
Leaflet one, large, 112 asclepiadoides. 
2A. Pods somewhat but not conspicuously inflated, cartilaginous, 
filled with pulp when green, straight or only a little oblique, the 
ventral suture about straight, both sutures thickened and some- 
what intruded. Walls at least 2 mm, thick and fleshy when 
fresh. Flowers pearl-white, with snake-like or cabbage-!ike odor. 
reflexed, many, fully 2 cm. long. spicate. Wings narrow. Keel 
purple-tipped. Calyx mostly nearly as high as long, short-cylin- 
dric, truncate at base and attached on lower corner. Coarse and 
tufted plants 1-3 ft. high. Leaflets several pairs and large, 
leathery and flat. Pattersoni. , 
Leaflets linear-lanceolate. Stems 1-2 ft. high. II3 Pattersoni. 
Leaflets mostly diamond-shaped. Stems low. 114 sabulosus. 
109. Astragalus Preussii Gray Proc. Am. Acad. 6 222 (1864). Pods 
1.5-2 cm. long, from oval and nearly 1 cm. long, wide and high, to. 
narrowly oblong and 5 mm, high and wide, scarcely to much laterally 
flattened, when narrow then narrowed below, when large the pods are 
shortly flat-apiculate, when narrow the pods are triangular-acuminate, 
dorsal suture sometimes a trifle sulcate and produced as a narrow 
and very thin edge. Stipe of pod varies from a very thick stalk, hardly 
as long as wide, to slender and as long as the calyx. -The texture of 
the pod almost chartaceous to thick-coriaceous. Both sutures rather 
thick and raised externally but the ventral suture not produced within. 
The pods are straight or a little arched in the narrow forms and erect 
on a horizontal stipe. The tip of pod is either declined or ascending. 
Flowers pink-purple-tipped, about 2 cm. long, rarely 1.5 em. long and 
smaller, few, and racemose. The banner varies from a little longer than 
keel to 4-6 mm. longer, it is abruptly arched at end of calyx to 30° 
and then straight to tip, with sides thin and much reflexed in the 
middle giving it a triangular outline, with white spot beautifully striped 
or stipuled. Wings a little longer than keel, obliquely oblanceolate, 
with triangular and obtuse tip and ascending about 45 degrees much 
as in A. amphioxys. Calyx tube nearly 1 cm. long and 4 mm. wide, 
with deltoid and fleshy base, about equally inserted, cleft much deeper 
above. Calyx teeth deltoid and about one-fourth as long as tube in 
the type. Peduncles 1-1.5 dm. long and about as long ag leaves, the 
floral rachis nearly as long as the peduncle and few-flowered. Leaf- 
lets 5-7 pairs and, in the type, obcordate to oval-obovate and notched 
and rarely 1 cm. long, rather glaucous. Stems a foot or two high, 
flexuous, ascending, single or few from an erect root, growing in 
clay or poor sandy soil on benches near rocks. The var. laxiflorus Gray 
Proc. Am. Acad. 13 369 (1878) (var. laxispicatus Sheldon) hardly de- 
serves varietal rank. It has subulate calyx lobes 2-3 mm. long. The 
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