204 
obcompressed and sulcate at both sutures so that the cross-section is 
nearly linear, mostly bisulcate to very base along the ventral suture 
toward the base but not at all at the triquetrous tip which is ensiform 
and arcuate or strongly incurved, pods from nearly straight to arched 
into nearly a half circle, a little narrowed below in the narrow forms 
and notched at the ends at the very weak attachment, almost sessile, 
from nearly coriaceous to almost papery (the walls a little fleshy and 
woody when fresh) and finely cross-lined or varying to strongly 
ribbed, green or mottled, filled with pulp, closely reflexed, with vent- 
ral suture raised and thick, and the dorsal suture a mere line exter- 
nally and double with age and thickened within and raised asa mere 
line. Flowers about 1.5 cm. long, straight, mostly narrow, few to 
many, brilliant-pink-purple at tips when fresh. Banner ovate, about 
7 mm. long, abruptly arched at end of calyx tube to 45-80 degrees, 
with sides reflexed to the midrib 2 mm. wide below and so appearing 
fiddle-shaped, white or cream-colored, with white spot obcordate 
and purple-veined and coming within 2 mm. of tip, with the groove 
about V-shaped to semicircular and nearly 4 mm. wide at tip. Wings 
linear, very oblique, arched to 30-45 degrees, about 2 mm. wide, acut- 
ish, a little longer than keel, purple above. Keel about 2 mm. shorter 
than banner, arched from base to the erect tip, about 3 mm. wide 
throughout, the tip obtuse but not rounded, deltoid, dark-purple. Ca- 
lyx cylindrical, about 7 mm. long or less, straight, attached on the 
lower corner but with straight sides, about 3 mm. high, reddish, with 
fine, white, crinkled, short hairs closely appressed: tube fleshy at the 
insertion, not cleft deeper above, the triangular teeth about a third to 
fu ly as long as the tube and capillary. Bracts broadly ovate and hy- 
aline, about 2-3 mm. long, rigid and as long as the pedicels. Pedun- 
cles subscapose, stout, 5-7 cm. long. Leaves not over 3 cm. long, with 
slender petioles twice as long as the leaf-rachis. Leaflets 4-6 pairs, 
elliptical to obovate, obtuse, not over 1 cm. long, rather thick, folded 
and variably silvery on both sides with loosely appressed hairs. Stip- 
ules large, imbricated, shaggy, round to oval, rarely ovate, hyaline, 4-5 
mm. long, very conspicuous, acute. Stems very short and with con- 
gested internodes, only a few inches long at most, rigid, inclined to be 
woody, prostrate or spreading, many and caespitose from the crown 
of the erect and woody root, growing in rocky places, preferably crev- 
ices, often along with A. pubentissimus which at times is very similar 
but without the large stipulesand congested internodes. It some- 
times blooms as a winter annual.. Common throughout the San Ra- 
fael Swell, and growing from Green River to Grand Junction and 
southward to the Moencoppa Arizona where it grows with A. sabulo- 
num and is distinguished from it by the caespitose habit and stipules. 
Lower Temperate life zone. "CE 
Astragalus desperatus var. petrophilus n. var. Pods rigid, decid- 
edly inflated, rarely 1 cm. long, half-oval to obliquely obovate, 4-5 
mm. high, with ovate to cordate cross-section, generally a little sul- 
cate dorsally near the base, and sometimes also ventrally there but 
the ventral suture mustly a straight. thick and raised line, and the dor- 
sal suture a raised and thin partial partial partition within, tip of pod 
very sharp, upturned, deltoid, with a sharp and subulate beak, surface 
of pods so shaggy as to conceal the skin, sometimes crose-ribbed.. the 
pubescence falls off long after maturity, pods indifferently spreading. 
1-3 on the ends of the filiform peduncles which are 1-10 cm. long, and 
rarely as long as the leaves. Flowers 5-7 mm. long, from stubby to 
narrow, 1-5 on the ends of the peduncles. not reflexed. Calyx teeth 
from,rudimentary to triangular and 1 mm. long. Leaves very much 
reduced and short. Leaflets 2-3 pairs, thickish, ashy, 3-4 mm. long, 
elliptical, folded, obtuse. Petioles about aslong as the leaf-rachis. 
. Stems form an oblong mass of imbricated stipules, rarely 1 cm. long, 
JJ many on the crown of the erect root, the mat 4-6 inches wide. Very 
. variable. This is toe most condensed form and the smallest mats re- 
