206 
> 
normally much shorter or absent and plants then acaulescent. Stip- 
ules large, triangular to subulate-lanceolate. Crown branches many, 
forming a dense tuft. Common on the plains and foothills of the 
Rockies from central Wyoming and the Laramie plains southward 
through the mountains at low elevations, westward to Sapinero Col. 
and Santa Fee New Mexico and the Plains to the eastward, not in Ari- 
zona. Middle Temperate life zone in gravelly soil. 
Astragalus Shortianus Var. cyaneus (Gray) Jones Cont. 8 5 (1898) 
and 10 65 (1902). A. cyaneus Gray Pl. Fend. 34 (1849). This differs 
from the type in the ovate pods being about 2.5 cm. long, the shorter 
and wider pubescence not at all shaggy on the calyx, smaller leaves 
and more condensed habit. Leaflets rarely over 1 cm. long, oval and 
with cuneate base. Bracts about 4 mm. long. Pedicels about 1 mm. 
long. Flowers about 1.5 cm. long and short-clawed. Calyx tube 
about 3 cm. long, the short teeth 2 mm. long The hairs often havea 
little knob near the base showing a tendency to be fixed above the end 
asin the next group. This is the common form of the Rio Grande to 
Texas. .A. Shortianus var. minor Gray, in so far as it differs from this 
s a form of A. Missouriensis whieh intruded sutures and pick-shaped 
airs. : 
167 Astragalus argophyllus Nutt. in T. & G. Fl. N. A. 1 331 (1838) 
A. glareosus of most authors, not Douglas. Pods very variable, al- 
ways pubescent with rather loose and not appressed hairs, never really 
_ Shaggy, fleshy, with pulp about 2 mm. thick and a hard inner woody 
wall (pulp thinner in southern regions), somewhat wrinkled when dry 
bnt with smooth outline when fresh, from nearly round but obliquely 
beaked to oval-ovate and oblong-ovate when large, 5-7 mm. high, 
about 1 cm, wide and 1.5 cm. long, rarely more, sharply shortly arcuate 
toward the tip, jointed to the calyx and with a minute stipe when dry 
and rounded to notched at base, a little sulcate’ ventrally, flattish dor- 
sa lly and rarely sulcate except at very base where it is inclined to be 
sulcate at both sutures and obcompressed, but with sutures not in- 
truded, from very little inflated in the type to much inflated in the var 
castanaeformis, cavity full of hairs, cross-section about oval, some- 
times rather didymous when sulcate, vertical longitudinal section ob- 
long-arcuate. Flowers 1.5-2.5 cm. long, brilliant pink-purple, often 
deep-biue when dry (due to the alkali in drying papers), narrow, in 
heads at the ends of slender peduncles, which never exceed the leaves 
and mostly are very much shorter. Claws of petals exserted except 
when old. Banner about 1 cm. long, oblong-oval, dark-pink-purple a- 
‚round the edges, strongly notched, with sides reflexed widely to 45° 
from calyx tips. with while spot large and coming within 2 mm. of the 
edge and narrowed below and with ragged edges and red-purple and © 
branching veins: Wings narrowly oblong, 1-3 mm. Shorter than the 
banner and as much longer than the keel, a little arched and narrowed 
above, 1-2 mm. wide and much narrower than keel, purple-tipped and 
1. long, 
cabo 
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