231 
188 Astragalus Bigelovii Gray Pl. Wr. 2 42 (1853). Pods oblong- 
oval to ovate, oblique and barely arched, about 1 cm. long though va- 
rying from7 mm. long to 2 cm. long, ovate in the type, about 7 mm. 
wide and 5 mm. high, sulcate deeper above, shortly-triangular-acute 
with upturned, tip cross-section from circular to oblate with septum 
variable but hardly reaching the ventral suture throughout. The pods 
vary greatly from much inflated and almost as broad as long to much 
narrower and elongated, the pubescence is shaggy and rather short. 
Flowers densely spicate, purple and showy, rather broad and with the 
claws not exserted, about 2 cm, long, but the petals inclined to be ra- 
the: stubby. Banner arcuate to about 80 degrees in a gentle curve, the 
sides reflexed much and 3 mm. wide below but not much at tip so that 
the banner seems oblong, groove 2 mm. deep and nearly as wide being 
broadly V-shaped and continuous to the tip, white spot filling groove 
and coming within 2 mm. of tip and narrowly-oblong, banner notched 
and purple tinged with edges rose-purple and base darker. Wings 
linear, about 2 mm, wide. with a little lobe at base on the upper side, 
obtuse, 1 mm, longer than keel to nearly as long as banner, mostly 2-4 
mm. shorter than banner which is about 7 mm long, ascending 30 de- 
grees, dark-rose purple at base, the upper 4 mm. white, nearly flat, the 
tipa little incurved. Keel dark-purple tipped. blunt, gently arcuate 
from near the base to one third circle or sharply to a half-eirle and then 
3-4 mm. long and high. Calyx pink, a little inflated, becoming nar- 
rower and white with age, shaggy with spreading hairs, laterally flat- 
tened, gibbous, ascending, with tube about 7 mm. long and 4-5 mm, 
wide, with subulate teeth about half as long as tube. Bracts persis- 
tent, rather large. from 4-10 mm. long. Peduncles stout, erect or de- 
clined and scapose, 5-20 cm. long, mostly shorter than the leaves, the 
fruiting rachis about as long as the peduncle. Leaves 7-20 cm. long, 
with petioles as long as the rachis. Leaflets nearly round to oval, 
very obtuse, about 12 pairs, 7-20 mm. long in the type densely shaggy 
with yellow hairs. Stems normally almost none and with the thick 
crowns sometimes a little produced and woody and with closely im- 
bricated stipules which are 1-2 em. long. This very variable species 
is common in the Rio Grande valley and westward at least to Flag- 
staff Arizona and the Santa Ritas and to Monterey and Durango Mex- 
ico. It grows mostly in the Lower Temperate life zone, going down 
alittle into the Tropical, in gravel on dry benches, in the open and 
blooming in early spring, 
Astragalus Bigelovii var. Matthewsii (Watson Proc. Am. Acad. 18 
192 1883 as species). This differs in no respect from the type except 
that the flowers are loosely spicate, the bracts green and lanceolate 
and longer, and the pods are about 1.5 cm. Jong and conspicuously in- 
flated and chestnut-shaped, nearly as wide as long and about half as 
high. Fort Wingate New Mexico on the Little Colorado in the Nav- 
ajo Basin. ; 4 
Astragalus Bigelovii var. Thompsonae (Watson) Jones Cont. 8 
23 (1898). A. Thompsonae Watson Proc. Am. Acad. 10 345 (1875) as 
species. Pods ovate to acuminate-lanceolate, 1-3 cm. long, conspicu- 
ously arcuate normally to a half circle, hardly 1 cm. wide and rarely 7 
mm. high, decidedly obcompressed and with cross-section about that 
of the figure oo, with tip 1-celled a distance of 4-7 mm. down, shortly 
velvety-shaggy, with walls about 2 mm. thick when fresh, Flowers 
rather light-purple and with lighter bases, about 2 cm. long, loosely 
spicate, Banner arched abruptly at calyx tips to 45-75 degrees, ap- 
pearing fiddle-shaped, with sides reflexed a little below, with white 
spot finely stippled and notched and obovate. Wings horizontal at tip 
and rather narrower, Calyx tube 7-10 mm. long, teeth rarely over one 
third as long as tube and often black-shaggy. Bracts often nearly as © : 
stout, ascending, wi & pods. The 
many flowers aud asgend 
ong, 
bo as calyx. Peduncles rarely shorter than the leaves, often 2 Ihe = 
long, stout, g, with many scending pods. Th 
