73 



7. Astragalus Californicus (Gray) Greene Bull. Cal. Acad. 3 157 

 (1885). A. collimis var. Californicus Gray Proc. Am. Acad. 12 54 

 (1876). Pod about triangular at each end in the type and straight but 

 varying to acuminate at both ends and very arcuate, 4-5 mm. wide, the 

 cross section elliptical, rather closely racemose, smooth when old, 

 minutely hairy when young, pendent, finely reticulated throughout, 

 about the same width throughout, opening first at tip. Flowers white, 

 1-1.5 cm. long, shortly and densely racemose, spreading. Banner 7-10 

 mm. long, oval, arched to about 45 degrees and abruptly at end of 

 calyx, with sides much reflexed from the base, 3-4 mm. longer than 

 wings. Wings linear, about 1.5 mm. wide arched sometimes to 45 de- 

 grees, about 2. mm. longer than keel. Keel with straight base, about 

 4 mm. long, abruptly arched to erect, the triangular tip rather nar- 

 row and 3-4 mm. high, and inclined to truncate, yellow at very tip. 

 Calyx about cyliiidric, about 5 mm. long and 3 mm. high, very 

 slightly narrower below, hairy, white and hyaline, the upper side a 

 trifle arched and the lov/er straight, attached at the lower 

 ?nd fleshy corner and nearly truncate there, a trifle oblique at tip, 

 the triangular teeth hardly one-fourth as long and nigrescent. Pedi- 

 cels in flower 1-3 mm. long and about as long as the triangular to 

 subulate papery bracts, in fruit sometimes 6 mm. long and twice as 

 long as bracts. Peduncles about as stout as stems, sulcate, strict, 

 1-1.5 dm. long, about twice as long as leaves, the floral rachis nearly 

 as long. Leaves 5-7 cm. long, the upper sessile, a little longer than 

 the internodes. Leaflets 7-10 pairs, 5-12 mm. long mostly folded, acut- 

 ish to rounded, broadly linear to linear-oblanceolate, not contiguous, 

 not opposite, cuneate and long-petiolulate at base, hoary with soft and 

 spreading wavy almost woolly hairs fixed by the base. Stems not 

 slender, decumbent below, a, little flexuous, about 2 ft. long, sulcate and 

 green, tufted from rather woody root. Stipules triangular-subulate, 

 rigid and reflexed, green above, hyaline below and connate, small. The 

 stine in type is hardly longer than the calyx but other plants have 

 stipe half as long as the pods and 5 times as long as calyx. In the 

 valleys adjoining Mt. Shasta California on the north. Middle Tem- 

 perate life zone, in gravelly places. Blooming in April and May. 



8. Astragalus inversus Jones Cont. 5 276 (1893). Pods nearly 

 horizontal or a little reflexed, 2.5-4 cm. long exclusive of the rather 

 stout and tapering stipe which is about 1 cm. long, reddish when fresh 

 and purplish when dry, 4-6 mm. high, nearly flat when dry but 

 little so when fresh, straight or only a little arcuate. Flowers very 

 loosely racemose, few, ascending, purplish, about 1 cm. long. Banner 

 pinkish when fresh, with red stripes on the outside, about 1 cm. long, 

 elliptical-oblong, a trifle wider below, ascending 45 degrees in a 

 gentle arc from end of calyx tube, 4 mm. wide below, 3 mm. wide at tip, 

 notched barely, with sides reflexed 2 mm wide below, appearing fid- 

 dle-shaped by the sulcus being very narrowly LT-shaped at base and 

 widening above at the tip where the sides are not at all reflexed, 

 sulcus 1 mm. deep below, becoming a mere line above; white spot 

 barely visible but its place taken by purple veins. Wings obliquely 

 oblanceolate, ascending 30 degrees, 3 mm. wide, concave to keel 

 and flaring, the left hand one the most so, erose at the acutish tij), 

 pinkish with stripes, nearly 2 mm. longer than keel. Keel lunate, about 

 2 mm. wide in the middle, acute at both ends and equally arched from 

 base to the erect tip which is yellowish and darker, base of keel 

 nearly round in cross section. Calyx tube round in cross section, cara- 

 panulate, about 3 mm. long and 2 mm. high, red. nearly equally inserted 

 at the acutish fleshy base, teeth minute, triangular from a broad base 

 Pedicels stout 1-2 mm. long and about as long as the small, greenish, 

 ovate bracts. Peduncles often a foot long, green and sulcate as are 

 the stems and leaves, very slender and falcate, the few flowers scat- 

 tered along the upper end. Leaves about 1 dm. long, all petioled with the 



