220 
179 Astragalus Utahensis (Torr.) T. & G. Pac. R. R. Rep. 2 120 
(1855). Phaca mollissima var. Utahensis Torr. Stansb. Rep. 385 t.2 
(1853). Pods narrowly oblong but so long-woolly as to seem half- 
oval, about 2 cm. long, with the body 5-7 mm. wide but appearing 1.5 
cm, wide, barely 3 mm. high, with the rather straightish but crinkled 
hairs about 4 mm. long and spreading almost at right angles. When 
stripped of the hairs the pods are found to be much obcompressed 
nearly throughout and arched to about one third circle, with tip very 
short and conical, with boih sutures strong and a little raised, inclined 
to be broadly sulcate at both sutures, with acutish base, opening a little 
at tip, not inflated, and with seeds hard to get out ¡this and the wool- 
liness being admirable adaptations for wide distribution ), with cross- 
section oblong to reniform and narrow, with walls finely cross-wrin- 
kled and coriaceous and rather thin when fresh but hard and with the 
outer wall fleshy and 1 mm. thick and theinner one woody, pods loose- 
ly attached to the calyx, ripe seede olive-colored. Flowers 2-2.5 cm. 
long, bluish-purple when dry (therefore acid when fresh), about halfa 
dozen on the fioral rachis which even in fruit is seldom as long as the 
flowers. Banner 1-1.5 cm. long, oval, rather deeply notched, with 
sides reflexed 3-4 mm. wide below the middle, rather abruptly arcuate 
to 30-45 degrees just beyond the calyx tips and straight to the tip, the 
white spot broadly cuneate and tridentate or with a single acuminate 
tooth from the center of the rounded or truncate end and beautifully 
veined with narrow and nearly parallel purple lines running down.to 
the base. Wings linear, about straight, a little larger above and roun- 
ded, nearly twice shorter than banner and horizontal beyond, 2-5 mm. 
longer than keel, rarely 2 mm. wide. Keel narrow, about half-spatulaie 
with the end about 3 mm. wide, the purple tip being a little above the 
middle of the end as in A. coccineus but very obtuse, Calyx a little 
inflated and hyaline, reddish, with tube about 1 cm. long. 3-6 mm. 
wide, a little narrowed at both ends, cleft deeper above, the sides be- 
ing about straight, inserted on the lower corner on a stout pedicel 2-4 
mm. long, sparsely woolly and rarely nigrescent, teeth subulate and 
about 3 mm. TE Bracts narrowly triangular, very thin and hyaline, 
5-10 mm. long. eduncles stout, barely as long as the leaves, from 
1.5 dm. long to very short, prostrate in fruit. Leaves narrow, from 1 
dm. long to a few centimeters long and with the slender petioles shor- 
ter than the leaf-rachis. Leaflets about contiguous, about 8 pairs. 
softly woolly with short hairs, normally 1 cm. long, but in condensed 
forms hardly 3 mm. long. Stems densely matted, often forming mas- 
ses 2 feet in diameter, from 1 nm. long or less to almost acaulescent 
and with the triangular to acuminate-lanceolate stipules imbricated or 
concealed in the white wool, elongated in the shade. This species is 
found mostly on south slopes in the sagebrush in gravelly places from 
the lower part of the Middle Temperate to the upper part of the Low- 
er Temperate life zone, from Beaverhead Co. Mont. and the western 
part of the Green River basin Wyoming to the southern flanks of the 
Uintas to Price Utah and the eastern slopes of the Wasatch, and west 
throughout the Great Basin to the Sierras, southward at least to Marys- 
vale and Fish lake Utah, Osceola and Tonopah Nevada, southward of 
the latter place it seems to be replaced by A. coccineus and funereus. - 
It is common as far west as the East Humboldt Mts. Nevada. It be- 
gins to blooın in early summer and continues till frost. The pods are 
like a pellet of wool when dry and blow far, scattering the seeds wide- 
ly because they rattle out so slowly. It thrives also on loose and dry 
sandy soil. Roots erect and rather fleshy but not long. This is the 
most beautiful flower in Utah. EU. 
." 180 Astragalus inflexus Douglas in Hook. Fl. Bor. Am. 1 151 1834 
Pods 1.5-3 cm. long, 5-10 mm. wide, and rarely 3 mm. high, lanceolate” 
to oval-ovate, occasional forms occur that are only 1 cm. long, from — 
simply hooked at tip to arcuate nearly to a circle, sulcate ventrally tovs 
