Vol.. II.] 



PEA FAMILY. 



301 



13. Astragalus lotiflorus Hook. L,ow Milk Vetch. 



Astragalus loliflorus Hook. Fl. Bor. Am. i: 152. 1833. 

 Phaca lotiflora T. & G. Fl. N. A. i: 349. 1838. 

 Astragalus elatiocarpus Sheld. Bull. Geol. Nat. Hist. Surv. 

 Minn. 9: 20. 1894. 



Villous-pubescent with white hairs, branched from the 

 base, nearly acaulescent, or with stems i'-3' long. Stip- 

 ules ovate, acuminate, i^ // -2 // long; leaflets 7-15, oval or 

 oblong, obtuse and sometimes mucronulate at the apex, 

 narrowed at the base, s'MJ" long; flowers yellow, 4 // -6 // 

 long, in rather dense short spikes; peduncles shorter than 

 or equalling the leaves, sometimes very short; pod i-celled, 

 sessile, villous-pubescent, ovoid-oblong, coriaceous, some- 

 what inflated, pointed, dehiscent, keeled along the straight 

 dorsal suture. 



Prairies, Manitoba to Nebraska and Texas, west to Colo- 

 rado and the Northwest Territory. June-July. 



Astragalus Missouriensis Nutt. Missouri Milk Vetch. (Fig. 2138.) 



Astragalus melanocarpus Ntitt. Fraser Cat. 

 Name only. 1813. 



Astragalus Missouriensis Nutt. Gen. 2: 99. 1818. 



Densely silky-canescent all over, tufted, 

 branching from the base, 2 / ~5 / long. Stipules 

 ovate-lanceolate, acute, 2 // -4 // long, leaflets 

 7-21, elliptic or obovate, obtuse but sometimes 

 mucronate at the apex, narrowed or rounded 

 at the base, 3 // -5 // long; flowers few, violet- 

 purple, 5 // ~9 // long in loose heads or short 

 spikes; pod i -celled, sessile, acute, oblong, 

 pubescent, dehiscent, coriaceous, circular in 

 section, slightly keeled along the ventral 

 suture, transversely wrinkled, about \' long. 



Prairies, Nebraska to the Northwest Territory, 

 south to New Mexico. May-July. 



15. Astragalus Shortianus Nutt. Short's 

 Milk Vetch. (Fig. 2139.) 



Astragalus Shortianus Nutt.; T. & G. Fl. N. A. i: 331. 

 1838. 



Silvery canescent, nearly acaulescent, somewhat 

 branched from the base. Stipules ovate, acutish, 

 about 2" long; leaflets 9-15, elliptic or obovate, 

 acutish at the apex, narrowed or rounded at the 

 base, 5" -9" long; flowers blue or violet, 7"-9 //r 

 long; peduncles commonly shorter than the leaves; 

 pod i -celled, sessile, coriaceous, 8-shaped in sec- 

 tion, dehiscent at maturity, lanceolate-ovoid, pu- 

 berulent, transversely wrinkled, strongly curved 

 and beaked at the summit, I'-i^' long. 



Prairies, Nebraska and Colorado, south to New 

 Mexico. May-July. 



