239 
OCREATI. 23. 
Perennials with densely tufted short stéms with con- 
gested internodes or the upper ones elongated but much 
shorter than the leaves, branched below, ascending to 
erect, from a woody root, rarely 3 dm. long. Stipules 
sheathing but rather small. Leaves narrow, all petioled, 
` 1-3 dm. long, the rachis at least as long as petiole and 
slender. Leaflets 5-8 pairs, narrow to oblong, mostly acute 
and folded, not acicular, nót contiguous, 2-3 cm. long, 
long-petiolulate and jointed to petiole. Flowers spicate 
or in fruit a little racemose, about sessile, 6-12 mm. long, 
neither reflexed nor stubby, with cylindrical to long-cam- - 
panulate tube which is 3-5 mm. long and mostly a trifle 
longer than the subulate teeth. Bracts elongated and 
conspicuous, triangular-subulate. Pods conspicuously ob- 
compressed, inclined to be sulcate above and below, oval 
to oblong, abruptly apiculate, not much exserted from 
the calyx, coriaceous and variously corrugated, the sides 
rounded, cross section variously reniform or like the 
figure 8 but not at all 2-celled nor with sutures produced 
within, mostly a little oblique at tip but not arched, very 
slightly if at all inflated. Ventral suture raised exter- 
nally and very much thickened or prominent, pod when 
sulcate ventrally is so on each side of suture. Plants 
of the arid deserts mostly in alkaline and very poor | 
clay soil, but not in sinks or where water stands. Pu- 
bescent with closely appressed hairs. Plants blooming in 
early summer. 
KEY. 
A. Pubescence attached by the middle or near it (by the base in 
A. argillosus), of flat and tapering hairs. Stems densely tufted 
and decumbent, slender, at least 1 dm. long when fully devel- 
oped, hoary. Leaflets linear, about 2.5 cm. long. Flowers 
densely spicate, about 1 cm. long. Bracts about as long as 
calyx and its lobes. Pods splitting the calyx at maturity, shal- 
low-sulcate at both sutures. 
AB. Pods hoary, about equaling the calyx teeth, ovate to oval, 
straight but tip rarely a little curved, ende: at base, mostly 
acute, obcompressed at least at base and mostly sulcate, 
+ with ventral suture prominent, loosely spicate. Flowers 
to yellowish, about 12 mm. long. Calyx short, campanulate; 
teeth subulate, about as long as tube. Leaves 1-1.3 dm. long. 
Leaflets 2-5 mm. wide, 2.5 cm. long, 4-7 pairs. Stipules hya- 
line, broad, about 7 mm. long. Stems flexuous, some inter- 
nades 8 cm. Pog perennials. Whole plant erect or ascending 
Parens bene O . 200 so horöides. - 
[c 201 confertiflo 
