80 



16. Astragalus montanus (Niitt. in T. & G. Fl. 1 353 (1838) as 

 Kentrophyta) Tragacantha montana (Nutt.) Kuntze, A, Kentrophyta 

 Gray. Homalobus montanus (Nutt.) Britton, Kentrophyta viridls 

 Nutt. This is a very variable species. The type has very rigid stems 

 and leaves, the latter nearly sessile and with very spinose and rigid 

 channeled rigid leaflets 5-10 mm. long which are linear-subulate, with 

 conspicuous, hyaline and spiny stipules. Pubescence attached near the 

 middle. Flowers 5-10 mm. long, white with purple keel tip. Banner 

 arched to about 90 degrees or less abruptly and with hump below the 

 bend, hooded, with very concave sides and little reflexed, th groove 

 very narrow, the blade contracted about 2 mm. below the tip so that 

 the general outline is oblong, the tip abruptly reflexed or not at all, 

 deeply notched, a little wider at tip than below, finely striate-veined 

 with purple, white spot evident, broad veined; wings connivent, oblong, 

 ovate, to lunate obtuse to barely acute, about 3 mm. longer than 

 keel or bearing the same relation when flowers are smaller, ascending 

 to nearly 90 degrees. Keel purple-tipped and very sharp and much 

 Incurved. The right wing folded over the end of the keel. Calyx short- 

 campanulate and obconical and Hedeoma-like, with broad sinuses and 

 subulate curved teeth about as long as tube which is about 2 mm. 

 long, sometimes a little flattened above, obliquely attached. Pods in 

 the type obliquely ovate, with short-acuminate tip, hoary, laterally 

 flattened, not sulcate, about 4 mm. long. It abounds in mats on the 

 bad lands of Wyoming, to S. Dakota mostly on clayey knolls, extend- 

 ing over into Dakotah and Colorado and northward to Alberta, and 

 southward to northern Airzona and New Mexico. Upper edge of the 

 Lower Temperate and lower part of Middle Temperate life zone. 



Astragalus montanus van. Coloradoensis (Jones as Kentrophyta 

 var. Cont 10 63 (1902). This is a form with stipules all free and 

 small but acerose, white stems, and similar pods 10 mm. long. In the 

 hot region of northern Arizona at Lee's Ferry on the edge of the Tro- 

 pical life zone in dry plains. 



Astragalus montanus var. ungulatus. (Jones Cont. 7 650 (1895) 

 as Kentrophyta var. This is a very condensed form with leaves harrilv 

 1 cm. long and leaflets about 7 mm. long. Stipules hyaline small and 

 not acerose. Flowers about 5 mm. long Pods claw-like oblin lely 

 ovate, with arched tip and nearly round in cross-section, rarely a 

 trifle sulcate, hoary, 3-4 mm. long, mostly single in the axils. Rrr K-e- 

 mont Nevada on barren gravelly knolls, Lower Temperate life zone. 

 Kentrophyta Wolfii Rydberg is about this form. 



Astragalus montanus. var impensus (Sheldon Minn. Hot. Stud. 9 

 118 (1894) as A. viridis var. A. Ken trophvta var. elatus Watson. 

 Kentrophyta impensa (Sheldon) Rydberg. This is an erect form or a 

 matted form where some of the central stems are erect and often 2 

 feet high, with leaves of the tyi)e but mostly shorter, and the small 

 flowers and pods of the vnr. ungulatus, but generally 2 or 3 feet at 

 each node and pods sometimes with an elongated falcate and acerose 

 tip and often nenrly smooth. This has the widest range of all the 

 forms, from Fort Wingpte through north'^rn v^rizona. the Navnio 

 Basin, westward to Pioche and the Sierras, throughout Utah and north- 

 westward to Valli Walla in the Columbia Pa^in, at least in eastern 

 Nevada. In the T ower Temperate life zone on dry gravelly mesas, 

 mostly among the junipers. 



Astragalus montanus var. rotundus. (Jones Cont. 7 650 (1895) 

 as tegetarius var. rotundus.) This is a prostrate straggling form 

 with long stems and long internodes mostly, with the small pods 

 and flowers of the var. ungulatus but pods conical, little flattened 

 normally straight and with sutures arched and convex and with a tri- 

 angular tip, leaflets about 5 mm. long and barely needle-tipped, linear. 

 Flowers light-purple. Among the pine forests at the head of the 

 Sevier Utah, Middle Temperate life zone. A similar form on the 



