88 Debiles. 



26. Astragalus polaris Benth. in Hook. f. Arct. PI. 323 (1861). 

 This is also Tr. Linn. Sec. 330. Pods about 2 cm. wide and high, 

 speckled, obtus^^ at Loth ends, seemingly much obcompressed, with 

 dorsal suture a little arched and the ventral about straight when 

 mature but convex when young and with tip declined, ascending, 

 black-hairy, sessile rr with a minute and jointed stipe splitting the 

 calyx. Calyx rather long-campanulate, 4 mm. long, the teeth about half 

 as long. Flowers 1-3, the blades of petals 3-4 times as long as 

 calyx, the kfeel shorter than the rest. Peduncles about 1 dm. long 

 in fruit, axillary. Leaves about 1 cm. long, with a petiole about 1 cm. 

 long. Leaflets 5-7 pairs, ovate to oblong or elliptical, about 2 cm. 

 long and 7 mm. wide, refuse to deeply notched short-petiolulate, dis- 

 tant. Stems delicate and very slender, about a foot long, diffuse. 

 Stipules hyaline, about 7 mm. long. Internodes about 2-3 cm. long. 

 Plants smooth to sparingly pubescent. This imperfectly known species 

 from Cape Vancouver grows in the tundra. Arctic. 



27. Astragalus debilis. (Nutt.) Gray Proc. Phil. Acad. 60 (1863) . 

 Phaca debilis Nutt in T. & G. Fl. 1 34.5 (1838). A. Bodini Sheldon. 

 Homalobus Rydberg. Pods half-oval, about 5-8 mm. long, the ventral 

 suture about straight or a little convex toward the end, abont 3-4 mm. 

 high, rather laterally flattened, the cross section being broadly ovate 

 or rarely a little cordate by being a trifle sulcate dorsally, minutely 

 stipitate, apiculate at both ends, widely spreading or reflexed. Flow- 

 ers in the type in dense heads on peduncles longer than the leaves, 

 shortly-spicate in fruit, light-purple to purple-tipped, many, spreading, 

 about 1 cm long, rather narrow. Banner oval to oblong-oval, about 

 5-7 mm. long, ascending abruptly to 45 degrees at calyx tips, with 

 sides reflexed below and about one half mm. wide, not at the notched 

 tip; groove reduced to a mere line above but forming a hnlf circle 

 and about 1 mm. wide below keel tip; white spot comes within 1 mm. 

 of tip, is obovate to fan-shaped and lacerate above with fine purple 

 lines, purple veins run through the spot and unite in twos below but 

 do not form a ring, spot is about 2 mm. wide and 3 mm. long, the 

 whole banner is purnle-veined. Wings about 3 mm. long, sometimes 

 2 mm. wide, obliquely oblong, with narrowed but cbtuse tip. If^ft one 

 spreading, concave to keel pnd nearly horizontal with concave sid^ 

 down toward the tip and right hand one incurved over keel, nearly 

 2 mm. longer than keel and as much shorter than banner, puride- 

 veined. Keel much inflated near the calyx tips but flat beyond and a 

 half longer, incurved about 100 degrees and very obtuse, dark-pur- 

 ple. Calyx tube about 3 mm. long, almost cylindrical, laterally com- 

 pressed below and obcompressed near tip, the lower side straight, 

 the upper arched, neither oblique nor unequally inserted. Teeth equal, 

 subulate and 2 mm. long. Pedicels short and stout, black. 1 mm. long 

 in flower, often twice the calyx and inclined to be twisted in fruit. 

 Bracts, about 3 mm long. Peduncles 2-12 cm. long. Upper leaves 

 slender, narrow and sessile, rather appressed, rarely 1 dm. long, green, 

 a little fleshy when fresh but drying very thin. Leaflets 6-8 pairs, 

 oval to lanceolate mostly acute, 4-15 mm. long, about 6-8 mm. wide, 

 ascending, rarely co^tieuous. Stipules trianc:ular 4-10 mm. long, mostly 

 reflexed, green. Stems weak, slender, delicate, 1-3 ft. long, many, 

 proptrate when not supported by grass forming masses 2-4 fee* 

 wide from woody crown. Pubescence of whole plant sparsely ashy 

 to almost none. Grows in moist meadows where the soil is a little 

 alkaline. Middle Temperate life zone. Blooms in late summer. This 

 is a plant of wide distribution but rarely seen. North Park Colorado 

 Osterhout, Cummins, and Centennial Valley Wyo. Nelson; Loa, Utah 

 Ward and .Jones, British Columbia Macouu, North Platte Nel). Ryd- 

 berg distributed as A. giganteus; Stevenson and Laramie Wyo. by 

 Cleburn in 1875. A form from Salubria, Idaho by myself though only 



